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Daniels 
Speed  swimming 


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Spalding  "  Red  Cover  "  Series  of      * — i  r-i  i — ' 
Athletic  Handbooks   No.  36R  I ,  '     I 


SPEED 
SWIMMING 


BY 

C.  M.  DANIELS 

assisted  by 

L.  deB.  Handley  and  O.  Wahle 


(S'^-J't 


46878 

published  by 

AMERICAN  SPORTS  PUBLISHING 

COMPANY 

21  Warren  Street,  New  York 


-In  in 


n\-\r^  -Ji\-\a 


Copyright,  1921 

BY 

American  Sports  Publishing  Company 
New  York 


CONTENTS 


3 


Preface 
Introduction 

Learning  to  Swim 

Preparatory  Land  E.^crcises 

Hints  to  the  Bcgmncr 

The   Breast   Stroke 

The  Side  Stroke     . 

The  Trudgeon 
f^  The   Crawl 

«\]  Swimming  en  the  Back     . 

Nw  Competitive  Swimming — 

How  to  Choose  One'j  Distance 
How  to  Train  for  a  Race 
Hints    About    Racing 

i^'  Floating  and  Diving 

Phinge  for  Distance 
^  I         Diving 

Front  Dive 

Back  Dive 

Ornamental  Swimming — 
A  The  Rolling  Log 

vA^         Swimming  Like  a  Dog 
v^  Somersaults 

Sculling 

Swimming    Backward 

The  Torpedo 

The   Ship     . 

The    Top 

Monte  Cristo 


Symposium  on  the  Crawl  Stroke 


OTTO  TVAHLE, 

New  Tork  A.   C. ;  Member  of  A.A.U.   Uocord  Committee  and  World 

Swimming    Autliority. 


PREFACE 

In  undertaking  the  task  of  giving  to  tlic  public  a  sliort 
treatise  on  swimming  I  recognized  the  wisdom  of  obtainmg 
the  collaboration  of  someone  well  versed  in  theoretical  as 
well  as  practical  swimming.  In  looking  about  me  I  soon  re- 
alized that  I  could  do  no  better  than  in  applying  to  either 
Mr.  L.  de  B.  Handley,  or  Mr.  Otto  Wahle.  Both  had  had  a 
brilliant  competitive  career;  both  had  followed  closely  the 
development  of  swimming  at  home  and  abroad,  and  though 
only  amateurs,  had  coached  with  -  ♦  much  success  as  any 
professionals  in  the  country.  I  was  lortunate  in  finding  them 
only  too  glad  to  assist  me,  and  with  their  aid  I  put  together 
this  book,  trying  to  condense  into  a  lew  pages  all  that  could 
be  useful  to  the  swimmer,  aiming  at  clearness  and  brevity, 
and    omitting    all    unnecessary    stuff. 

Most  of  the  illustrations  are  from  photographs  posed  fof 
by  representative  exponents  of  the  strokes,  but  owing  to  the 
difficulty  experienced  in  getting  proper  effects  with  the  camera, 
through  water,  I  deemed  it  advisable  to  pose  them  on  terra 
firma.  As  a  consequence,  in  several  cases  the  body  is  so  strained 
as  to  give  a  slightly  erroneous  impression,  but  the  positions  of 
the  arms  and  legs  are  accurate  both  individually  and  in  respect 
to  each  other,  and  the  only  fault  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  legs 
are  at  times  too  far  below  the  surface.  The  line  drawn  across  illus- 
trations indicates  approximate  water-line.  In  taking  these  posi- 
tions in  the  water,  however,  the  body  will,  of  itself,  correct  the 
fault,  and  unconsciously  the  right  balance  will  be  established. 

C.  M.  Daniels. 


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ir^ACiil^G  THE  i\u  .  ioK 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY. 


INTRODUCTION 

Whole  volumes  have  been  devoted  to  telling  why  every  man 
and  woman  should  know  how  to  swim,  but  the  reasons  may  be 
concisely  condensed  into  three :  Swimming  is  a  pleasant  pas- 
time;  it  is  an  exercise  which  develops  the  body  symmetrically 
and  thoroughly;  and  it  is  often  the  means  of  protecting  and 
saving  life. 

As  a  pastime  it  has  few  equals.  The  pleasures  of  bathing, 
whether  outdoors  in  summer,  or  in  a  natatorium  in  winter,  can 
only  be  fully  appreciated  by  the  good  swimmers.  The  average 
man  tires  after  a  few  spasmodic  strokes  and  cannot  possibly 
experience  that  exhilarating  feeling  that  comes  to  the  expert  as 
he  glides  swiftly  and  easily  through  the  "treacherous  element" 
with  absolute  confidence  in  himself. 

Of  the  hygienic  value  of  swimming,  little  need  be  said.  Its 
very  cleanliness  insures  hygiene ;  for  cleanliness  is  the  founda- 
tion of  good  health,  just  as  uncleanliness  is  the  primary  cause 
of  disease.  But  on  the  subject  of  swimming  as  physical  culture 
many  erroneous  beliefs  are  held  which  need  correcting.  To 
begin  with,  there  are  few  exercises  that  will  develop  the  body 
as  symmetrically  as  will  swimming;  and  by  symmetrically  I 
mean  proportionately  and  from  head  to  foot,  with  no  muscle 
developed  at  the  expense  of  another.  One  often  hears  the  re- 
mark made  that  a  swimmer  has  no  muscles  at  all.  It  is  true, 
in  a  way.     He  shows  none  of  the  bulging,  knotty  muscles  of  the 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  9 

professional  poser.  But  those  clean,  smooth  arms  and  legs  oi 
his  are  blessed  with  the  only  muscles  that  will  benefit  an  ath- 
lete, the  long,  pliant,  "working"  muscles,  that  never  tire  and 
that  don't  know  what  it  is  to  cramp  or  to  bind. 

I  have  become  so  convinced  of  the  value  of  swimming  as  an 
all  round  developer  that  1  do  not  hesitate  to  advocate  it  as  pre- 
liminary work  for  running,  jumping,  rowing,  tennis,  or  any 
other  branch  of  athletics,  even  to  wrestling  and  weight  lifting. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  it  improves  the  wind,  and  it  has  the 
great  advantage  of  strengthening  the  muscles  without  hardening 
them.  One  emerges  from  a  two  or  three  weeks'  period  of  train- 
ing in  the  pink  of  condition,  yet  feeling  supple  and  free  in  every 
part  of  the  body.  And  the  very  softness  of  one's  muscles  per- 
mits of  the  taking  up  of  any  other  kind  of  exercise  without 
fear  of  the  soreness  that  comes  from  using  another  set  of 
muscles  than  the  one  which  has  been  hardened  by  exercising. 

An  athlete  of  my  acquaintance  established,  a  few  years  ago,  a 
world's  record  for  that  all  round  test  called  the  Medley  Race, 
in  which  six  consecutive  quarter  miles  have  to  be  negotiated — 
walking,  running,  bicycling,,  horseback  riding,  rowing  and  swim- 
ming. I  asked  him  one  day  how  he  ever  managed  to  train  for 
all  .these  dififerent  events  at  the  same  time.  "I  didn't,"  he  told 
me;  "I  tried  it  when  this  competition  was  first  instituted  and 
although  my  time  in  the  race  was  indifferent,  I  finished  quite 
exhausted.  In  my  second  attempt  at  the  record,  I  decided  to 
give  a  trial  to  a  system  advocated  by  Alex  Mefifert,  and  the  only 
training  I  did,  was  to  swim  two  quarter  miles  every  afternoon 
at  an  interval  of  fifteen  mintttes.  It  proved  most  successful.  I 
felt  strong  up  to  the  finish,  I  experienced  no  soreness  then  or 
after,  and  although  I  clipped  fully  two  minutes  ofif  my  previous 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  U 

performance  I  crossed  the  line  in  splendid  condition.  I  believe 
swimming  had  made  my  muscles  so  supple  that  there  was  noth- 
ing to  tire  or  to  bind,  and  my  wind  and  endurance  just  carrried 
me  through." 

Those  coaches  and  trainers  who  forbid  their  men  going  into 
the  water  during  training,  are  either  crassly  ignorant  or  know 
their  wards  too  well  to  trust  them.  The  average  athlete  be- 
haves a  good  deal  like  a  boy  in  school  and  tries  to  take  a  yard 
every  time  he  is  conceded  an  inch.  If  you  allow  him  to  take  a 
swim  during  the  summer  he  will  interpret  the  permission  into 
meaning  that  he  may  lie  around  the  water  by  the  hour;  or,  if  it 
is  winter,  that  he  may  spend  half  the  day  betweei.  the  hot  room 
and  the  pool.  Of  course  the  ne.xt  day  he  is  unfit  for  work  and 
complains  of  a  tired  feeling.  Then  the  coach  says :  "Ah  !  that 
swim,"  and  anyone  who  says  "swim"  to  him  thereafter  stirs  up 
a  row.  I  know,  and  no  one  cj\n  convince  me  to  the  contrary, 
that  a  daily  swim  of  three  or  four  minutes  (as  m.uch  as  is 
needed  to  cover  two  or  three  hundred  yards  at  a  brisk  pace) 
far  from  being  injurious  to  an  athlete  will  increase  his  snap  and 
dash. 

Coming  next  to  the  question  of  its  usefulness,  it  is  undoubted 
that  every  man  owes  it  to  himself  to  be  able  to  swim.  We 
live  so  much  on,  in,  and  near  the  water  that  there  are  daily 
possibilities  of  being  called  upon  to  use  our  knowledge  of  swim- 
ming. Is  not  the  fact  that  by  it  we  may  save  ourselves,  or  oth- 
ers, from  a  ghastly  death  by  drowning,  a  sufficient  incentive  to 
have  us  incur  a  little  trouble  in  learning?  What  tragedies  could 
be  averted  were  everyone  to  give  the  subject  a  little  thought. 

There  seems  to  be  a  prevalent  belief  among  parents  that  chil- 
dren should  not  be  taught  to  swim  until  they  are  over  ten  years 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  13 

old  and  that  to  teach  them  younger  is  injurious  to  their  health. 
Where  the  idea  could  have  emanated,  it  is  hard  to  understand, 
but  it  is  rank  nonsense.  I  liave  seen  in  England  youngsters 
under  seven  who  could  use  the  complicated  speed  strokes  just 
as  prettily  as  grown-up  experts,  and  their  ruddy  cheeks  and 
sturdy  young  frames  were  tangible  enough  proofs  of  their  not 
having  suffered  from  their  early  training.  It  is  the  duty  of 
every  father  and  mother  to  see  that  their  children  are  taught 
at  the  most  tender  age. 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRAE!. 


LEARNING  TO   SWIM 


Before  beginning  the  instructive  text  of  this  book  I  want  to 
say  a  word  in  regard  to  a  question  that  swimming  teachers  and 
coaches  are  often  asked.  It  is :  "Why  are  not  all  swimmers 
taught  the  same  stroke  in  the  same  way?"  The  query  is  nat- 
ural, for  one  seldom  sees  two  men  swim  alike,  even  when  they 
are  using  the  same  stroke.  Nevertheless  those  men  have  un- 
doubtedly been  taught  in  identically  the  same  way ;  only,  in  each 
case  the  individuality  of  the  pupil  has  asserted  itself,  and  so, 
while  both  men  are  going  through  the  movements  as  taught 
them,  they  are  doing  so  in  the  manner  best  suited  to  their  per- 
sonality. If  you  want  to  realize  what  I  mean,  ask  a  few  men 
to  lift  their  arms  above  their  head  as  in  the  first  position  of  the 
trudgeon  stroke  and  see  if  they  don't  all  hold  them  up  in  a 
dilTerent  way.  Each  is  assuming  his  natural  position  and  he 
v/ill  assume  it  when  learning  the  stroke  in  the  water.  Now, 
how  can  you  expect  these  men  to  swim  alike  when  they  don't 
even  hold  their  limbs  in  the  same  way?  To  the  man  with  ab- 
normal development  of  the  shoulders  an  extreme  reach  is  neith- 
er possible  nor  advisable;  it  would  be  a  decided  strain  to  him 
and  he  will  tire  much  sooner  than  if  a  shorter  one  is  used.  To 
the  supple,  slight  man,  instead,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in 
reaching  cut  and  he  will  benefit  by  the  added  length  of  his 
stroke.  The  same  may  be  said  of  every  other  part  of  the  stroke. 
And  has  the  reader  ever  considered  how  an  imperceptible  change 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  Iv, 

of  time  will  affect  the  entire  stroke?  Of  course  it  is  not  possi- 
ble to  get  arms  and  legs  to  start  automatically  at  the  exact  frac- 
tion of  a  second,  nor  is  it  likely  that  the  same  time  would  suit 
everyone;   inclination  is  a  factor  not  to  be  disregarded. 

The  lesson  to  be  learned  from  this  is  that  the  best  results  are 
obtained  by  adapting  the  various  movements  to  one's  build ;  not 
by  changing  them,  but  by  using  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
place  no  unnatural  strain  on  any  part  of  the  body. 


PREPARATORY  LAND  EXERCISES. 

Paradoxical  though  it  may  seem,  the  movements  necessary  in 
swimming  are  best  acquired  out  of  water  and  I  strongly  ad- 
vise the  beginner  to  go  through  a  period  of  land  exercise  before 
attempting  to  learn.  Especially  in  the  case  of  women  and  chil- 
dren I  have  found  the  system  excellent.  The  fact  is,  people 
often  have  a  morbid  dread  of  the  water  (born  probably  of  un- 
familiarity  with  it)  and  get  so  nervous  in  it  that  they  are  quite 
unable  to  keep  their  mind  properly  on  what  they  are  doing, 
while  you  teach  them.  On  land,  the  action  of  both  arms  and 
legs,  the  correct  way  of  breathing,  and  the  respective  time  of  all 
three  can  be  practiced  at  ease  until  they  become  so  familiar  as 
to  be  gone  through  instinctively  when  one  enters  the  water. 

The  different  parts  of  the  stroke  should  first  be  taken  up 
separately,  beginning  with  the  legs,  then  the  arms  and  breathing, 
and  finally  all  together. 

To  master  the  leg  movement,  stand  with  heels  together  and 
hands  on  the  hips.  Lift  right  leg  off  the  ground,  pointing  the 
knee  outward  until  the  heel  almost  touches  the  left  knee,  then 
straighten  it  out  so  that  the  ankles  are  about  two  feet  apart  and 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  .  19 

bring   it   brisl<ly   down   to   starling  position.     Do   the   same   with 
the  left  leg  and  proceed,  alternating  them. 

To  learn  the  arm  stroke,  begin  by  placing  the  hands  at  the 
height  of  the  chest,  about  a  foot  below  the  chin,  palms  down, 
fingers  close  and  pointing  before  j'ou.  Push  the  hands  out  par- 
allel to  the  ground  until  they  are  at  full  length.  Turn  palms 
outward  (thumb  down)  and  bring  arms  back,  stiff  at  the  elbow 
and  still  parallel  to  the  ground,  until  they  are  at  right  angles  to 
the  body.  In  other  words,  let  them  describe  a  quarter  of  a  circle. 
Then  bend  the  elbow  backwards  and  gradually  turning  the  palms 
down  again,  return  to  original  position.  Repeat  until  familiar 
with. 

In  breathing,  you  should  inhale  through  the  mouth  and  exhale 
through  the  nostrils.  Inhale  while  the  arms  are  coming  back 
and  exhale  while  they  go  forward.  A  suggestion  made  by  the 
Hon.  Sydney  Holland  I  have  found  to  work  wonders.  He  tells 
novices  to  blow  their  hands  away  from  them.  The  breathing  in 
swimming  should  be  easy,  not  short  and  hard.  Begin  to  inhale 
as  soon  as  the  hands  start  down  and  manage  so  that  you  will 
just  have  filled  your  lungs  by  the  time  they  reach  the  chest. 
Begin  to  exhale  as  they  start  forward  and  continue  until  they 
are  on  the  full  reach. 

Now  take  the  stroke  all  together.  Start  with  the  arms  stretched 
out  before  you  and  as  you  bring  them  back,  take  a  deep,  slow 
breath.  When  the  hands  are  about  to  reach  the  chest,  bring  up 
the  right  leg;  as  the  hands  go  forward  straighten  the  leg  out 
and  when  they  are  about  to  become  extended,  snap  it  down 
alongside  of  the  other.  On  the  next  stroke  let  the  left  leg  do  its 
vork,  and   continue,  alternating  them. 

Before  entering  the  water  it  is  advisable  to  learn  to  use  both 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  21 

legs  at  the  same  lime  in  connection  with  the  rest  of  the  stroke. 
You  can  do  this  by  lying  face  down  on  a  stool  or  chair.  The 
position  is  not  a  very  comfortable  one,  but  you  only  need  do  a 
few  minutes  at  a  time  of  it  and  the  work  will  certaintly  benefit 
you  a  lot. 

In  some  books  I  have  seen  land  drills  for  the  trudgeon  and 
crawl  advocated  as  instructive.  Personally,  while  I  believe  them 
an  excellent  exercise  for  developing  the  body,  I  do  not  think 
they  teach  anything.  The  strokes  are  far  too  complicated.  It  is 
an  entirely  different  matter  from  the  simple  breast  stroke  move- 
ments, and  it  will  be  found  much  more  satisfactory  not  to  lose 
any  time  at  them. 


HINTS   TO    THE   BEGINNER. 

In  undertaking  the  actual  task  of  swimming,  salt  water  is  pre- 
ferable to  fresh,  because  it  has  more  sustaining  power.  Whether 
you  have  indulged  in  land  exercises  or  not  you  will  find  it  hard 
to  support  yourself,  at  first,  and  if  you  can  find  water  about  four 
or  five  feet  deep,  where  you  can  touch  bottom  at  will,  if  you  get 
nervous,  I  should  advise  your  doing  so. 

Alost  instructors  are  in  favor  of  cork  belts,  white  wings,  in- 
flated bags,  and  other  floating  devices  for  beginners  ;  but  I  think 
them  a  mistake.  Swimming  is  entirely  a  question  of  balance,  as 
the  body  floats  naturally,  and  all  artificial  buoying-up  destroys 
the  right  idea  of  how  to  hold  one's  self.  I  realize  that  one  learns 
more  readily  when  no  effort  has  to  be  made  to  keep  above  water, 
but  there  is  a  way  of  giving  support  without  affecting  the  bal- 
ance. Place  a  canvas  belt  or  a  strip  of  cloth  around  your  chest, 
■^^^  a  thin  piece  of  rope  to  it  and  attach  the  end  of  this  rope  to  a 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRAEY.  28 

short  Stick,  as  on  Page  6.  The  instructor  or  a  friend  can  hold  the 
stick  while  you  practice,  placing  on  it  only  sufficient  pressure  to 
keep  you  afloat.  How  little  this  is  you  will  understand  by  watch- 
ing a  performer  in  the  plunge  for  distance ;  without  moving  a 
muscle  he  keeps  on  the  surface  indefinitely.  The  belt  system  has 
the  advantage  of  allowing  ihe  holder  to  gradually  diminish  the 
sustaining  pressure  until,  without  being  conscious  of  it,  one 
swims  without   support. 

If  you  cannot  find  help  it  may  be  best,  in  case  of  nervous- 
ness, to  provide  yourself  with  white  wings  or  an  inflated  bag; 
then  let  out  the  air  a  little  at  a  time,  until  you  become  used  to 
swimming  without  props  at  all. 

The  position  of  the  body  is  an  all-important  matter  in  swim- 
ming, for  it  is  position  that  insures  the  proper  balance.  One 
often  sees  the  beginner  floundering  along  with  head  thrown  back 
to  such  an  angle  that  it  looks  about  to  fall  off,  and  this,  besides 
placing  a  terrible  strain  on  the  neck,  brings  the  feet  far  too  low 
in  the  water,  retarding  progress.  The  position  is  generally  due 
to  faulty  breathing,  for  in  breathing  properly  there  is  no  need 
to  crane  the  neck  to  get  air.  Just  watch  a  good  swimmer  of 
the  breast  stroke  and  notice  his  easy  position,  half  the  time 
mouth  is  under  water  as  on  Page  lo.  That  is  the  correct  way  to 
carry  the  head.  While  the  arms  are  coming  back,  their  applied 
power  lifts  the  body  and  brings  the  mouth  well  above  water; 
then  is  the  time  to  inhale ;  later,  as  the  hands  go  forward,  the 
mouth  sinks  below  the  surface  and  one  exhales  under  water, 
preferably  through  the  nostrils.  Pay  great  attention  to  the 
breathing,  it  is  the  secret  of  easy  swimming. 

In  learning  lo  swim  never  hurry  the  movements,  haste  is  the 
negation  of  form  and  you  can  only  acquire  the  correct  stroke  by 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  5J5 

making  every   move  a   slow,   careful   one,   thinking   all   the   time 
of  what  you  are  doing. 

If  you  have  taken  no  preparatory  land  exercise  before  tackling 
the  Stroke,  or  if  you  find  that  the  movements  don't  come  to  you 
at  once  in  the  water,  you  had  better  try  the  various  parts  sep- 
arately, as  advocated  previously,  until  you  have  mastered  them 
thoroughly. 

THE  BREAST  STROKE. 

Racing  men  as  a  rule  are  wont  to  look  upon  the  breast  stroke 
as  useless  and  obsolete  as  proved  by  the  fact  that  efforts  have 
been  made  to  have  it  stricken  from  the  list  of  championship 
events. 

The  men  guilty  of  this  senseless  move  can  not  have  given  the 
subject  very  careful  consideration.  On  a  long  swim,  whether 
forced  on  one  by  chance  or  taken  for  pleasure,  nothing  is  more 
restful  than  a  short  change  from  the  speed  strokes  to  the  breast. 
And  as  to  its  usefulness,  it  is  the  only  stroke,  barring  the  back 
stroke,  that  will  allow  one  to  make  shore  with  a  victim  in  case 
of  a   rescue   from   drowning. 

To  learn  the  breast  stroke,  lie  comfortably  on  the  surface  so 
that  your  feet  are  only  a  few  inches  below  it  and  your  mouth  is 
just  under  water.  Place  legs  together  and  straight,  toes  pointing 
back,  arms  extended  in  front,  hands  touching,  fingers  closed,  and 
palms  down.  In  starting  to  swim,  turn  the  palms  outward, 
thumbs  down,  and,  keeping  the  elbow  stiff,  draw  the  arms  back 
just  below  the  surface  and  parallel  to  it  until  at  right  angles  to 
the  body;  then  bend  the  elbow  backward  and  gradually  turning 
the  palms  down,  bring  the  hands  together  at  the  chest ;  then 
shoot  them  forward  to  starting  position.    The  legs  are  not  moved 


SrALDING'S    ATHLETIC    MBRARl.  27 

until  the  hands  approach  the  chest,  then  they  are  drawn  up, 
knees  out,  heels  together;  when  the  hands  start  forward  the 
legs  are  kicked  out  straight  without  closing"  them,  and  as  the 
arms  get  to  the  full  reach  the  legs  are  snapped  sharply  together. 
In  this  position  the  body,  driven  by  the  impetus  of  the  kick,  is 
allowed  to  "slide"  until  the  momentum  is  all  but  exhausted,  when 
the  arms  are  started  again.  Of  course,  though  the  various  parts 
of  the  stroke  are  described  separately,  in  action  they  are  run  into 
one  another  so  closely  as  to  produce  a  smooth,  continuous 
motion. 

THE  SIDE  STROKE. 

I  hesitated  some  time  before  giving  this  stroke  space.  It  is 
one  of  the  racing  strokes  that  has  seen  its  day,  and  is  slowly 
passing  away.  Nevertheless  it  is  used  by  many  coaches  to  pre- 
pare the  pupil  for  the  more  complicated  trudgeon,  and  it  un- 
doubtedly facilitates  the  acquisition  of  the  scissor  kick,  so  I  will 
give  the  way  to  learn  it. 

The  body  rests  on  the  water  with  one  shoulder  down,  and  it 
will  be  well,  at  first,  to  hang  on  to  some  stationary  support  to 
practice  this  kick.  It  is  absolutely  different  from  the  old  frog 
kick  and  not  easy  to  learn  properly,  so  don't  get  discouraged  if 
you  fail  to  become  perfect  after  half  an  hour's  trial.  Things 
that  are  worth  while  do  not  come  as  rapidly  as  that.  The  first 
movement  of  the  scissor  kick  consists  in  bringing  the  upper 
leg  forward  quite  stiff  at  the  knee  and  the  under  one  back  to  a 
kneeling  position.  The  under  leg  should  not  be  moved  from  the 
hip,  but  from  the  knee.  The  action  of  the  scissor  kick  should 
be  front  and  back,  just  as  in  walking,  with  no  side  motion  at 
all.    When  the  toes  of  the  under  leg  are  two  to  three  feet  from 


SPALDING'S    ATHLET:C    LIBRARY.  29 

the  heel  of  the  upper  one  (according  to  one's  size)  the  legs  are 
brought  smartly  together.  The  ank'es  are  bent  up  just  as  the 
legs  separate  and  then  return  to  their  original  position  as  the 
legs  close.  Particular  pains  should  be  taken  to  keep*  the  upper 
leg  rigid ;  it  comes  instinctively  to  bend  it  and  unless  you  exag- 
gerate in  practice  you  will  not  hold  it  properly  later.  In  bending 
the  knee,  a  resisting  surface  is  presented  to  the  water  which  off- 
sets all  the  good  derived  from  the  kick.  The  opening  of  the 
legs  should  be  done  very  slowly,  as  a  sudden  movement  in  this, 
acts  like  a  brake,  and  they  should  be  brought  together  with  a 
snap.  It  is  a  fault  to  open  the  legs  too  wide,  as  it  increases  the 
resistance. 

For  the  arm  action,  place  your  arms  above  the  head,  palms 
turned  away  from  the  face.  Bring  upper  arm  down  smartly,  with 
elbow  rigid,  hand  the  least  bit  spooned,  fingers  together.  Carry 
through  the  water  just  below  the  surface,  describing  a  semi- 
circle to  end  at  the  thigh,  then  bend  the  elbow  and  bring  it  for- 
ward well  above  water  until  on  the  full  reach  again.  The  under 
arm  should  be  started  just  as  the  upper  one  finishes  and  brought 
down  parallel  to  it,  so  that  it  brushes  the  lower  thigh ;  then  the 
elbow  is  bent  and  the  arm  is  shot  forward  below  the  surface, 
palm  down.  Breath  is  taken  as  the  upper  arm  comes  down  and 
exhaled  as  the  under  arm  goes  forward.  The  legs  are  opened  as 
the  upper  arm  starts  down,  and  snapped  back  as  it  finishes.  The 
side  stroke  should  give  a  smooth  run  with  no  jerks. 

THE  TRUDGEON. 
A  thing  which  I  omitted  in  the  side  stroke,  but  now  becomes  a 
necessity,  is  a  coach.     This  point  I  must  emphasize  before  pro- 
ceeding any  further.     Swimming  is  a  sport  different  from  most 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  31 

others  inasmuch  as  the  pupil  cannot  see  what  he  is  doing  and 
often  falls  into  serious  faults  without  being  aware  of  it.  These, 
if  not  corrected  at  once,  become  chronic.  The  coach  should  be 
an  expert,  if  possible,  though  anyone  is  better  than  no  one;  only, 
it  is  essential  that  faults  should  be  corrected  and  the  uninitiated 
cannot  very  well  tell  you  how. 

The  trudgeon  is  the  least  tiring  of  strokes,  when  its  relative 
speed  is  considered,  and  may  be  used  for  any  distance.  It  is 
my  opinion  that  a  judicious  alternating  of  the  breast  and  the 
trudgeon  will  tire  less  and  give  better  results  than  the  use  of  the 
under-  and  over-arm  side  strokes. 

The  trudgeon  is  a  double  over-arm  stroke  combined  with  the 
above  described  scissor  kick.  In  not  a  few  cases,  however,  it  has 
been  modified  by  an  additional  fluttering  of  the  lower  leg  as  the 
under  arm  goes  forward.  This  keeps  the  body  moving  until  the 
upper  arm  is  ready  to  start  downward  again.  That  the  name  of 
trudgeon  should  be  given  to  this  new  form  of  stroke  is  rather 
odd,  as  it  does  not  resemble  it  very  closely,  but  then,  "trudgeon" 
has  come  to  be  a  sort  of  generic  appellation  to  be  given  to  any 
variety  of  double  over-arm. 

In  learning  the  trudgeon  the  swimmer  should  take  up  the 
more  simple  kind,  adding  the  crawl  flutter  later,  if  found  ad- 
visable. The  kick  is  the  first  thing  to  study  and  if  one  has  tried 
the  side  stroke  the  arm  action  only  will  have  to  be  practiced,  as 
the  scissor  kick  is  used  in  both.  I  will  remark  here,  though,  that 
it  is  a  great  mistake  to  pass  from  one  part  of  the  stroke  to  an- 
other until  the  first  has  been  thoroughly  mastered.  The  trud- 
geon is  far  too  complicated  a  stroke  to  allow  of  its  being  learned 
all  together.  Therefore,  until  that  scissor  kick  is  perfect,  do  not 
attempt  to  go  any  further. 


SPALDING'S    ATHL,i<;TIC    LIBRARY.  33 

When  you  feel  confident  of  being  an  adept  kicker,  take  up 
breathing.  It  is  essential  that  this  most  important  part  of  the 
stroke  be  acquired  before  bothering  with  the  arms.  To  learn 
to  breathe  properly,  lie  flat  on  the  water,  face  down,  and  begin 
by  freeing  the  lungs  of  air,  blowing  it  out  under  water,  slowly 
and  easily.  Do  not  attempt  to  clear  the  lungs  with  one  power- 
ful blow,  but  let  the  air  out  gradually;  it  should  take  at  least 
three  or  four  seconds.  This  done,  turn  your  head  from  the 
shoulders,  to  the  side  the  upper  arm  is  going  to  be,  and  take  a 
long,  deep  breath,  without  haste.  When  the  lungs  are  full,  twist 
the  head  back  and  exhale  under  water  as  before,  through  the 
nostrils.     Repeat  until  the  method  has  lost  its  strangeness. 

In  choosing  a  side  to  swim  on,  consult  inclination.  If  you  feel 
more  comfortable  on  the  right,  adopt  that  side,  but  if  you  are 
equally  at  ease  on  both  sides,  swim  with  the  right  shoulder  down, 
as  this  brings  up  the  left  flank  and  relieves  the  heart  of  a  good 
deal  of  pressure  that  is  placed  upon  it  in  swimming  the  other  way. 

For  the  arm  movement  let  the  body  rest  on  the  water  with 
hands  at  full  reach  above  the  head,  palms  down.  This  is  the 
first  and  last  position  of  the  stroke.  In  catching  the  water  the 
body  is  rolled  a  little  and  the  head  twisted  around  to  bring  the 
mouth  above  the  surface.  The  palms  are  turned  a  wee  bit  to 
the  side  the  body  turns,  and  the  upper  arm  is  brought  down  with 
a  strong,  steady  pull — elbow  fairly  rigid,  wrist  the  least  bit  bent 
down,  fingers  together — until  straight  down  alongside,  then  the 
elbow  is  bent  and  the  arm  brought  forward  well  above  water. 
The  semi-circle  described  by  the  arm  in  the  trudgeon  is  not  like 
in  the  side  stroke,  parallel  to  the  water,  but  almost  at  right 
angles  to  it.  It  is  at  right  angles  to  the  body,  really,  anjd  as 
the  body  is   rolled,  the   angle  becomes   more  acute.     Some  men, 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  86 

in  swimming  distance,  roll  until  the  arms  are  at  an  angle  of  about 
45  degrees.  The  under  arm  is  started  just  as  the  upper  finishes, 
except  in  some  cases.  I  have  seen  distance  men  "slide"  for  sev- 
eral yards,  holding  the  upper  arm  alongside  and  the  under  one 
on  the  full  reach,  to  be  brought  down  only  as  the  momentum 
died  away.  The  under  arm  follows  the  same  orbit  that  does  the 
upper  one,  almost  parallel  to  it ;  as  it  reaches  its  completion  the 
body  is  rolled  back  on  its  face,  the  elbow  bent,  and  the  arm  shot 
forward  as  the  other,  clear  of  the  water;  just  as  it  gets  to  the 
full  reach  the  upper  arm  is  started  down  again. 

I  have  remarked  already  that  in  distance  swimming  the  body 
rolls  strongly ;  in  sprinting,  instead,  it  travels  almost  flat  on  the 
water,  so  that  breath  has  to  be  taken  by  a  rapid  twist  of  the 
head  from  the  shoulders.  Also  the  elbows  are  bent  a  bit  more  in 
sprintinj  to  facilitate  a  quicker  stroke,  and  instead  of  going 
straight  down,  they  pull  a  little  to  each  side,  finishing  at  the 
hip  instead  of  at  the  thigh. 

In  swimming  the  whole  stroke,  the  time  to  be  followed  is : 
Upper  arm  first ;  legs  are  opened  up  as  it  starts  and  snapped 
together  as  it  finishes ;  under  arm  comes  down  next ;  upper  arm 
starts  the  recovery  as  the  under  arm  catches  the  water  and  be- 
gins another  stroke  as  the  under  arm  lifts  to  go  forward.  Breath 
is  inhaled  while  the  upper  arm  is  pulling  and  exhaled  while  the 
jnder  arm  recovers. 

THE  CRAWL. 

This    stroke,   which    experts   have   come    to   look   upon    as    the 

troke  of  the  future,  is  a  combination  of  an  abbreviated  over-arm 

.nd  a  peculiar  leg  drive  learned  by  the  Australians  from  the  na- 

ives  of  the  South  Sea  Islands.      The  leg  drive  cannot  be  called 


S     ' 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  37 

a  kick;  it  is  a  continuous  up  and  down  alternate  thrash  of  the 
lower  legs  from  the  knee  down.  In  Australia  the  action  of  the 
arms  and  legs  is  synchronous,  that  is,  the  right  arm  comes  back 
as  the  left  leg  goes  down,  and  vice  versa.  In  America,  with  few 
exceptions,  the  arms  and  legs  are  worked  independently,  and  the 
thrash  has  a  narrower  scope,  the  legs  being  opened  less. 

That  our  system  is  the  best  seems  undoubted,  if  theory  counts 
for  anything  in  swimming.  Mr.  Robert  Sandon,  whom  I  con- 
sider one  of  the  world's  leading  authorities  on  aquatic  matters, 
explains  the  reason  in  a  manner  that  I  think  convincing.  He 
asks  us  to  watch  the  flight  of  a  flat  stone  that  has  been  thrown 
hard  along  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  note  its  progress.  So 
long  as  the  flat  side  strikes  the  water  it  bounces  on  without  a 
check  until  its  momentum  ceases,  but,  let  even  the  smallest  por- 
tion of  it  become  immersed  and  it  is  brought  to  a  sudden  stop, 
its  flight  checked  instantly,  never  mind  how  great  its  speed.  Ap- 
ply this  to  swimming,  now.  In  the  trudgeon,  or  even  in  the 
Australian  crawl,  when  swum  easily,  there  is  a  time  when  the 
propelling  forces  pause,  the  body  sinks  lower  in  the  water,  and  a 
check  is  noted ;  in  some  swimmers  a  very  decided  one.  In  the 
American  crawl,  instead,  the  continuous  action  of  the  legs  keeps 
the  body  constantly  in  motion,  so  that  there  is  no  check  or 
sinking  and  the  stroke  must  perforce  be  faster.  Of  course,  in 
sprinting  with  the  Australian  crawl  the  pause  is  so  infinitesimal 
that  there  can  be  little  advantage  over  it  in  the  American  stroke, 
but  as  it  is  very  probable  that  eventually  we  will  use  the  crawl 
for  all  distances,  the  point  is  not  to  be  overlooked.  A  small 
number  of  Americans  have  adopted  the  Australian  stroke,  with 
its  wide  and  synchronous  thrash,  but  have  added  a  fluttering  of 
the  feet  between  arm  strokes,  which  makes  the  action  continuous. 


46878 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  S> 

The  relative  time  of  the  arms  and  legs,  in  the  American  crawl, 
can  best  be  determined  by  the  individual  or  his  coach;  one  with 
strong  arms  and  weak  legs  can  adopt  a  rapid  arm  motion  and  a 
slow  kiclv;  one  with  strong  legs  can  do  the  contrary.  This  is 
one  of/uie  stroke's  best  features,  for  it  can  be  fitted  to  each  per- 
son.''^ Some  of  our  best  men  use  the  arms  almost  entirely,  and 
one  at  least,  Mr.  H.  J.  Handy,  of  Chicago,  let  his  legs  trail  be- 
hind him.  He  tried  the  kick,  but  found  he  could  not  swim  with- 
out tiring  when  using  it,  so  he  abandoned  it.  Others  can  go  al- 
most as  fast  with   legs  alone  as  when  using  the  arms.y/^^ 

A  good  deal  of  discussion  has  been  raised  in  regard  to  whether 
the  ankles  should  move  or  not  in  the  crawl.  Mr.  Gus  Sundstrom, 
instructor  at  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  who  was  indirectly 
responsible  for  the  introduction  of  the  crawl  in  America  and 
who  has  more  speed  with  the  leg  drive  alone  than  any  man  I 
have  seen,  not  only  bends  the  ankles  back  and  forth,  but  he  says 
it  is  by  doing  it  that  he  gets  his  wonderful  speed.  His  drive  is 
more  of  a  pedaling  motion,  he  brings  the  toes  up  as  the  leg  rises 
and  points  them  down  as  the  leg  snaps  back.  A  few  of  our 
swimmers  also  move  the  ankle  a  little,  but  most  of  them  keep  it 
rigid.  At  the  present  stage  we  cannot  say  positively  which  is 
the  better  method,  but  from  Mr.  Sundstrom's  success  we  should 
say  using  them  is. 

There  are  as  many  varieties  of  the  crawl  nowadays  as  there 
are  men  using  it.  No  two  swim  it  alike  and  each  indulges  in  a 
little  experimenting  of  his  own.  This  will  gradually  lead  to 
progress,  and  it  is  probable  that  as  the  men  discard  the  ineffi- 
cient details  in  favor  of  the  successful  ones,  the  different  var- 
ieties will  condense  into  definite  strokes  from  which  the  best 
will  eventually  be  picked. 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  41 

To  learn  the  American  crawl,  start  with  the  arms.  In  fact, 
you  will  probably  do  well  not  to  try  the  legs  at  all  until  you  can 
swim  a  good  fifty  with  your  arms  only.  Lie  fiat  on  the  water, 
with  arms  a  little  bent  at  the  elbow  and  stretched  out  above  your 
head.  The  wrists  should  be  just  beyond  your  head  and  the  arms 
a  little  more  open  than  in  the  trudgeon,  hands  bent  down  a  little. 
Catch  the  water  with  a  decided  snap  and  drive  them  through  at 
a  brisk  pace,  always  bent  at  the  elbow,  until  they  reach  the  hip, 
then  lift  them  clear  of  the  water  and  carry  them  forward  with 
elbow  well  up  in  the  air.  The  arms  being  started  wider  apart 
than  in  the  trudgeon,  they  are  also  brought  down  further  apart. 
The  under  arm  is  started  just  as  the  upper  one  finishes. 

For  the  kick,  move  the  legs  up  and  down  alternately,  keeping 
them  stiff  at  the  hip  and  holding  the  knees  close  together.  There 
is  little  difficulty  in  learning  this,  if  one  knows  how  it  should  be 
done,  but  the  best  way,  after  reading  the  description,  is  to 
watch  it  in  action.  To  imitate  it  without  having  read  it  up,  is 
not  easy,  and  to  acquire  it  without  seeing  it  is  harder  still,  but 
with  the  help  of  both  a  few  days  of  practice  will  be  sufficient. 
Don't  open  the  feet  more  than  twelve  or  eighteen  inches  from 
heel  to  toe.  The  real  difficulty  in  the  crawl  is  in  working  the 
arms  and  legs  into  a  smooth  stroke,  and  also  in  learning  to  hold 
the  tiring  leg  drive  over  a  given  distance.  Both  are  a  matter  of 
practice. 

The  position  of  the  body  in  the  crawl  is  flat  on  the  face,  much 
like  when  sprinting  with  the  trudgeon;  there  should  be  hardly 
any  rolling  and  breath  should  be  taken  only  every  two  or  three 
strokes  by  a  quick  twist  of  the  head  as  the  upper  arm  is  being 
brought  down.  The  time  for  exhaling  is  as  the  under  arm  goes 
forward. 


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HS^^K '  '^^i^^^HI^PiHI 

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iHHK^H^^^^^^a 

SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  43 

When  the  crawl  is  swum  slowly,  as  it  is  over  the  distances,  the 
arm  stroke  is  lengthened,  so  as  to  resemble  that  of  the  trudgeon, 
and  the  legs  are  slowed  according  to  the  distance ;  then  breath  h 
taken  at   every  stroke. 

SWIMMING  ON  THE  BACK. 

Those  few  who  are  students  of  the  back  stroke  have  attempted 
to  adapt  the  latest  speed  strokes  to  back  swimming  and  while  the 
success  achieved  has  not- proved  decisively  the  superiority  of  any 
one  form,  there  are  three  strokes  now  being  used.  The  first  is  a 
counterpart  of  the  breast  stroke,  altered  only  enough  to  suit  the 
different  positions.  The  arms,  instead  of  recovering  in  the  water, 
are  lifted  into  the  air  to  get  to  the  full  reach,  and  the  action  much 
resembles  that  of  a  windmill.  The  second  has  this  same  arm 
action  with  the  leg  drive  of  the  crawl,  and  the  third  is  identical, 
except  inasmuch  as  the  arms  move  alternately  as  in  the  trudgeon, 
instead  of  together,  as  in  the  breast  stroke.  Of  course,  in  alter- 
nating, a  decided  roll  is  given  to  the  body. 

To  learn  the  plain  back  stroke,  lie  flat  on  the  water,  as  in 
floating,  with  arms  fully  extended  above  your  head,  hands  flat, 
palms  turned  upward.  This  position  also  ends  the  stroke  and 
should  be  held  while  the  body  is  allowed  to  "run,"  after  the  legs 
have  kicked.  In  bringing  down  the  arms,  catch  the  water  sharply 
with  hands  back  to  back,  palms  outward,  and  pull  them  through 
with  a  steady  pull,  stiff  at  the  elbow,  describing  a  semi-circle  just 
below  the  surface  and  parallel  to  it.  When  the  arms  are  along- 
side, turn  palms  downward  and  keeping  them  rigid,  carry  them 
to  the  full  reach  by  waving  them  up  well  clear  of  the  water. 
The  legs  are  held  close  together,  toes  down,  until  the  arms  start 
their  recovery,  then  they  are  bent  up,  and  open,  just  like  in  the 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  4t> 

breast  stroke  kick,  and  they  are  snapped  together  as  the  arms 
attain  the  full  reach,  when  the  body,  now  in  orignial  position,  is 
let  "glide"  until  the  momentum  imparted  by  the  kick  wears  off. 
Then  another  arm  stroke  is  started.  It  is  really  the  action  and 
time  of  the  breast   stroke. 

For  the  two  other  varieties  the  work  of  each  individual  arm 
and  leg  is  the  same  and  the  leg  drive  has  been  described 
in  detail  in  connection  with  the  crawl.  The  time,  in  either,  may 
be  suited  to  oneself  as  the  arms  and  legs  work  independently 
of  each  other. 

Swimming  on  the  back  is  best  adapted  to  men  with  long, 
strong  arms,  so  that  tall  people  generally  turn  out  its  best  ex- 
ponents. It  is  not  a  popular  method  of  natation,  and  many 
look  upon  it  as  a  very  useless  accomplishment.  This  it  is  not  by 
qny  means,  though,  for  in  life  saving  it  is  used  with  great 
success. 


f 


^mW 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  4T 


COMPETITIVE    SWIMMING 

HOW  TO  CHOOSE  ONE'S  DISTANCE. 
Every  man,  in  deciding  to  enter  the  competitive  field  as  a 
swimmer  has  some  idea  as  to  whether  he  wants  to  become  a 
sprinter  or  a  distance  swimmer,  for  nine  times  out  of  ten  it 
is  the  realization  of  one's  possibilities  that  leads  to  racing.  In 
either  case,  there  are  but  two  strokes  worth  taking  up,  the  trud- 
geon  and  the  crawl.  For  a  sprinter  '■he  crawl  is  undoubtedly  the 
one  to  adopt  and  many  maintain  that  it  is  also  the  fastest  dis- 
tance stroke.  Learned  for  the  purpose,  and  timed  accordingly, 
there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  give  the  best  results.  The 
fact  that  it  is  admittedly  the  speediest  sprinting  stroke  proves 
beyond  question  that  the  movements  are  the  best  and  that  it  is 
merely  a  case  of  making  them  just  slow  enough  to  be  held  over 
the  distance  to  be  covered.  Several  swimmers  have  negotiated 
the  mile  in  competition  with  it,  so  that  we  know  it  can  be 
done.  The  aspirant  to  distance  honors  can  lose  nothing  by  giving 
it  a  trial;  it  is  easy  to  revert  to  the  trudgeon  if  it  proves  unsat- 
isfactory. And  in  advocating  a  trial,  I  do  not  mean  for  the 
candidate  to  try  to  hold  the  vertiginous  fifty  yard  speed  over  a 
half  mile  or  mile  course,  an  attempt  most  novices  make,  but 
the  swimming  of  easy  stretches,  say  of  two  or  three  hundred 
yardSj  very  slowly  and  paying  close  attention  to  form.  Not  one 
out  of  ten  has  a  really  good  conception  of  pace,  and  few  men 
seem  even  to  appreciate  that  pace  must  be  adjusted  to  the  distance 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    T.TRRABV,  49 

before  one.  They  will  start  out  on  a  long  swim,  especially  if 
they  are  trying  a  stroke  that  is  new  to  them,  as  if  they  were 
going  only  fifty  yards,  and  of  course  they  die  out  before  the 
hundred  mark  is  reached.  I  believe  this  to  be  the  reason  that  at 
the  appearance  of  both  the  trudgeon  and  the  crawl  everyone  pre- 
dicted that  they  would  never  be  held  over  the  furlong 

Whether  it  is  best  for  one  to  become  a  sprinter  or  distance 
swimmer  cannot  very  well  be  ascertained  until  a  good  deal  of 
racing  has  been  done.  Everyone  begins  at  the  sprints,  and  if 
one  is  better  fitted  to  the  distances  he  will  soon  find  it  out  with- 
out being  told.     The  knowledge  comes  instinctively.  ' 

In  taking  up  racing,  or  in  deciding  to,  the  prospective  competi- 
tor should  bear  in  mind  that  the  only  way  to  succeed  is  to 
learn  the  stroke  correctly  and  thoroughly  before  attempting  any 
fast  work  at  all.  To  race  with  a  faulty  stroke  is  simply  to  de- 
velop and  confirm  one's  faults  and  to  doom  oneself  to  mediocrity. 
Many  youngsters  who  win  their  novice  race,  and  possibly  some 
other  unimportant  event  by  brute  strength,  firmly  believe  that 
they  are  on  the  high  road  to  success,  and  neglect  form  alto- 
gether, with  the  result  that  they  never  accomplish  anything.  Form 
is  mdispensable  nowadays ;  we  have  progressed  so  far  towards 
scientific  swimming  that  even  the  most  favored  by  nature  will 
never  reach  the  championship  class  unless  through  form.  The 
temptation  is  great  to  start  racing  as  soon  as  speed  appears,  and 
one's  first  prizes  look  very  enticing,  but  a  little  self  denial  and 
early  application  will  amply  repay  in  the  long  run. 

HOW  TO  TRAIN  FOR  A  RACE.  j.^ 

) 

It  is  probable  that  no  two  men  train  alike  for  a  swimrning 
race  and  it  is  quite  certain  that  most  of  them  should  not  train 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  6l 

alike.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  generahtics  no  rockbound 
rules  can  be  set  down ;  each  must  learn  by  experience  what  is 
best  for  him.  Some  men  will  only  round  into  form  after  going 
through  work  that  would  send  others  stale  in  jig  time;  and 
again  some  thrive  on  food  that  would  be  quite  unfit  for  others. 
It  is  a  matter  of  idiosyncrasies. 

In  regard  to  food  I  believe  that  a  mixed  diet,  with  meat  in 
moderation  and  plenty  of  fresh  vegetables  and  ripe  fruit,  can  be 
recommended  to  everyone.  Prominent  dietiticians  of  the  day 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  meat  is  not  necessary  to  the 
training  athlete,  and  it  has  been  my  experience  that  fat  produc- 
ing foods  are  best  for  the  swimmer.  Meat  is  said  to  give 
strength  while  keeping  down  weight,  but  an  aquatic  competitor 
does  not  want  to  be  down  fine,  he  will  do  much  better  work  if  a 
few  pounds  above  normal.  The  extra  avoirdupois  adds  to  the 
buoyancy,  makes  mipervious  to  cold,  and  gives  that  reserve  en- 
ergy that  is  so  often  the  deciding  factor  in  a  closely  contested 
race.  Eat  heartily,  therefore,  and  only  avoid  those  notably  m- 
digestible  foods  such  as  pastry,  pork,  veal,  lobsters,  etc.;  though 
indeed,  in  the  early  part  of  training  even  these  may  be  taken  in 
moderation  with  impunity,  if  thoroughly  masticated.  This  e;it- 
ing  slowly  and  chewing  the  food  properly  is  the  great  secret  of 
a  healthy  digestion.  During  the  fortnight  preceding  competi- 
tion, however,  the  swimmer  should  become  discriminating  and 
be  extremely  careful  of  what  he  eats  and  drinks.  Ice  water  is 
net. conducive  to  digestion,  in  fact  it  retards  it  materially  by 
lowering  the  temperature  of  the  stomach.  Take  of  it  sparingly 
throughout  your  training,  and  drink  in  preference  cocoa,  milk, 
water  at  an  even  temperature;  or,  ale,  beer  and  claret  in  small 
quantities      Between  meals  good  filtered,  or  sprinir  water,  is  moRt 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  53 

beneficial.  Coffee,  tea,  intoxicants,  stimulants,  and  drugs  of  all 
kinds  had  best  be  left  alone  altogether  in  training,  and  tobacco 
should   not   be  used   under  any  consideration. 

One  more  very  important  point  and  I  pass  to  the  work  to  be 
done.  Don't  cut  your  sleep.  Sleep  is  nature's  great  panacea  for 
all  ills,  its  own  means  of  replenishing  the  exhausted  storage  bat- 
teries of  strength  and  energy.  If  we  want  to  be  in  good  condition 
we  must  give  her  sufficient  time  to  do  her  good  work.  Plenty  of 
sleep  is  an  absolute  necessity  to  the  training  athlete ;  he  should 
have  at  least  eight  hours  a  night.  Staying  up  late  is  also  bad 
for  you,  even  if  j'ou  get  your  eight  hours ;  the  hours  before  mid- 
night are  the  most  beneficial  and  your  curfew  should  not  ring 
later  than  10.30. 

In  regard  to  work,  much  depends  on  the  distance  in  sight,  on 
the  time  at  one's  disposal,  and  on  the  constitution  of  the  swim- 
mer. A  distance  man  requires  more  time  than  a  sprinter,  a 
strong  constitution  allows  more  work  than  a  weak  one  and,  of 
course,  if  you  have  one  or  three  months  to  train  in  makes  all 
the  difference  in  the  division  of  your  training.  In  no  case,  how- 
ever,  should  less  than   a   month   be  taken. 

Experience  is  really  the  only  efficient  teacher ;  each  man  must 
work  out  his  own  system,  or  his  coach  must  do  it  for  him,  but 
for  the  novice  I  can  advocate  one  that  having  proved  satisfac- 
tory in  many  instances  may  be  safely  recommended.  It  will 
serve  the  purpose  until  a  personal  system  has  been  evolved. 

Most  novices,  either  through  anxiety  to  enter  competition,  or 
through  ignorance  of  what  should  be,  limit  their  training  time 
to  two  or  three  weeks,  so  that  I  will  not  extend  it  to  over  a 
month,  but  I  will  advise  a  longer  period  whenever  it  is  possible. 

The  first  week  should  be  devoted  to  improving  the  general  con- 


SPALDING'S    ATnLETIO    LIBRARY. 

dition  of  the  body  and  almost  any  kind  of  healthy  exercise  will 
do  this.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  though,  that  to  swim,  the 
muscles  must  be  supple  so  that  any  work  so  heavy  as  to  harden 
them  is  detrimental  to  speed.\  Running,  lifting  heavy  dumbbells, 
wrestling  and  like  exercises  are  not  advisable.  A  daily  swim, 
during  the  first  week,  is  beneficial  but  not  essential.  If  you  swim 
every  day  take  only  short,  easy  stretches  of  fifty  and  one  hun- 
dred yards,  going  through  the  movements  slowly,  so  as  to  ac- 
quire form. 

During  the  second  week  the  land  exercises  should  be  cut  down 
to  a  very  few  minutes,  ar.d  the  swims  lengthened.  It  is  only  by 
perfecting  the  stroke  that  one*  progresses  and  it  cannot  be  per- 
fected in  sprinting;  faults  are  emphasized  by  fast,  exhausting 
work.  To  correct  them  take  easy,  careful  swims,  increasing  the 
distance  gradually,  and  always  having  some  one  to  look  over  your 
work  and  coach  you. 

Dr.  Shell  advises  swimming  only  three  times  a  week,  while 
training,  and  I  micntion  this  opinion  because  he  has  devoted  a 
deal  of  time  and  study  to  the  cjuestion,  but  I  must  admit  that  I 
differ  from  him,  and  that  I  think  one  day  of  rest  a  week  is  quite 
sufficient. 

The  distance  to  be  gone  on  the  first  day  of  the  second  week  is 
two  hundred  yards,  and  it  should  be  increased  daily  by  fifty 
yards,  the  last  day's  swim  being  a  good  hard  quarter  under  the 
watch.  Not  what  is  understood  as  a  time  trial,  but  just  a  quarter 
at  a  brisk  pace.  In  fact  I  believe  one's  individual  laps  should  be 
timed  all  through  training,  whether  one  goes  fast  or  slowly. 
These  will  tell  how  even  a  pace  is  h'^Id  and  little  by  little  make 
one  a  good  judge  of  pace.  A  few  champions  I  have  known  grew 
so  accustomed  to  this  timing'  that  they  could  suspend  a  stop  watch 


POSITION  IN  THE  HIGH  DIVE. 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY.  57 

just  above  the  surface  of  the  water  and  time  themselves,  so  that 
in  a  trial  they  knew  just  when  to  increase  or  slacken  their  speed. 
This  only  comes  after  much  practice,  though,  for  one  has  to  re- 
member the  time  of  every  oth^r  lap. 

On  the  third  week  only  aquatic  work  should  be  indulged  in, 
the  swimmer  alternating  short  sprints  one  day  with  distances  the 
'next.  If  your  race  is  at  the  furlong,  or  under,  go  about  300 
yards  on  the  distance  days  and  sprint  50  and  100  yards  on  the 
others.  If  your  race  is  at  the  quarter,  alternate  quarters  and 
sprints ;  if  over,  lengthen  the  stretches  gradually,  making  them 
600,  750,  and  880,  if  you  are  to  go  the  half,  and  880,  1,320,  and 
1,760,  if  you  are  going  the  mile.  In  going  these  distances  a  good 
steady  pace  should  be  held.  Not  racing  speed,  because,  form  must 
still  be  aimed  at,  but  fast  enough  to  get  one  used  to  hard  work 
and,  as  said  before,  under  the  watch.  Never  sprint  at  the  end 
of  these  long  swims — it  is  injurious.  It  is  bad  enough  to  have 
to  put  the  terrific  strain  on  the  heart  in  a  race.  Try  to  keep  an 
even  pace  throughout. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  last  week  make  a  tinip  trial  over  the 
entire  course,  whatever  it  be,  and  swim  it  just  as  you  M'ould  a 
race.  On  the  second  day  take  only  an  easy  stretch  of  at  most 
200  yards ;  on  the  third,  another  time  trial ;  on  the  fourt*^.,  a  tew 
starts,  with  a  couple  of  25  yarci  sprmts,  and  on  the  eve  of  the 
race   absolute    rest. 

In  training  for  a  sprint  it  will  do  no  harm  to  go  time  trials 
twice  a  week  throughout  the  period  of  training.  And,  of  course, 
if  two  m.onths  of  preparation  can  be  indulged  in,  the  system  must 
be  modified  accordingly.  For  two  months  the  doubling  of  the 
week's  work  will  prove  satisfactory,  except  that  the  distances 
may;  be  lengthened   more  gradually. 


SPALDING'S    ATHLETIC    LIBRARY  BB 

An  important  item  in  indoor  racing  is  the  turn.  Experts  esti- 
mate that  a  good  turner  gains  from  one-fifth  to  four-fifths  of  a 
second  on  a  bad  one  at  each  turn,  so  that  in  a  mile  race  held  in 
a  sixty-foot  tank  the  bad  turner  would  be  handicapped  one  min- 
ute and  ten  seconds,  or  in  the  neighborhood  of  one  hundred 
yards. 

In  learning  the  turn  the  first  thing  to  tackle  is  the  approach 
of  the  wall ;  it  must  be  timed  so  as  to  reach  it  with  the  turning 
arm  stretched  out  in  front.  This  is  done  by  taking  a  couple  of 
long  strokes,  or  two  or  three  short  ones,  as  the  wall  is  neared. 
When  the  hand  touches  the  wall,  which  it  does  just  above  the 
waterline,  the  palm  is  laid  down  on  it,  the  fingers  pointing  in  the 
direction  the  body  is  going  to  circle,  and  parallel  to  the  surface. 
The  body  is  now  swung  around,  helped  by  the  under  arm,  which 
is  stretched  alongside,  so  that  the  soles  of  the  feet  come  into 
contact  with  the  wall,  a  few  inches  below  the  surface.  Now  the 
hands  are  brought  rapidly  to  the  hip,  palms  pointing  in  front, 
fingers  down,  and  they  give  a  backward  stroke,  which  brings 
the  body  right  against  the  wall,  with  the  hips  nearly  touching 
it.  Then  the  arms  are  put  forward,  as  in  starting  the  trudgeon, 
the  legs  are  straightened  out  suddenly  with  a  snap,  and  the  body 
is  allowed  to  travel  on  the  impetus  of  the  push-off  until  it  slows 
down,  when  the  arms  take  a  stroke.  The  legs  do  not  move  until 
the  arms  are  recovering,  when  they  fall  into  their  proper  action. 
It  is  a  great  mistake  to  try  to  kick  before  the  arms  have  taken 
a  full  stroke.  Many  swimmers  take  advantage  of  the  turn  to  get 
a  deep  breath;  it  is  taken  as  on  Page  50,  just  before  the  hands  take 
the  backward  stroke  to  force  the  body  in  position  for  the  push-off. 

The  starting  dive  is  also  an  important  part  of  racing,  specially 
in  sprinting.     A  fast,  shallow  dive  should  be  adopted.     Performed 


SPALDING'S    ATHLBTIO    LIBRARY. 

slowly,  this  racing  dive  would  be  an  over-balanc  iiu^  of  the  body 
forward,  with  a  mighty  spring,  aided  by  arms  amt  legs,  as  it 
passes  beyond  its  center  of  gravity.  Stand  with  body  bent  for- 
ward, or  with  knees  slightly  bent.  As  the  signal  is  given  get  on 
tiptoe  and  swing  your  arms  back,  much  as  in  jumping;  then 
swmg  them  forward  as  the  body  falls  over,  bend  well  on  your 
knees,  low'er  your  heels  and  spring  out  with  head  erect,  arms 
extended  over  your  head,  palms  down.  These  are  the  move- 
ments dissected,  but  of  course  in  diving  they  are  gone  through 
so  quickly  as  to  make  just  one  rapid  spring.  Try  to  strike  the 
water  with  arms,  body  and  legs  in  a  straight  line,  ',t  such  an 
angle  that  you  will  only  sink  a  few  inches.  To  g,  deep  is  to 
kill  your  speed.  As  the  hands  touch  the  water,  avti  the  back 
a  little,  pointing  the  hands  up,  so  as  to  get  to  the  surface  at 
once  and  then  set  the  arms  going,  remembering  inat,  like  in  the 
turn,  the  legs  must  not  be  moved  until  the  ar^us  have  taken  a 
stroke  and  are  recovering. 

Coming  now  to  the  hygienic  details  of  tn^ining,  it  may  be 
pointed  out  that  too  much  indulgence  in  the  steam  and  hot 
rooms  is  as  injurious  a  habit  as  it  is  prevalent.  Three  or  four 
minutes  of  heat,  preferably  in  the  steam  room,  are  quite  suf- 
ficient to  open  the  pores,  and  more  is  weakening.  As  for  sitting 
in  the  steam  room  by  the  half  hour,  a  thing  training  swimmers 
often  do,  it  is  the  death  of  snap. 

Long  stays  in  the  water  are  also  conducive  to  sluggishness, 
and  standing  around  the  pool  wet  is  responsible  for  a  long  list 
of  ills.  This  noted,  make  it  a  prmciple  to  limit  yourself  to  at 
most  five  minutes  of  steam,  then  a  swim,  a  good  brisk  rub  as 
soon  as  you  come  out  of  the  water,  and  if  you  want  to  stay  m 
the  natatorium  after,  a  warm  bath  robe  and  slippers. 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  61 

It  is  a  wise  move  to  stuff  the  ears  with  cotton  on  entering  the 
water  and  to  change  this  wet  cotton  for  dry,  on  coming  out. 
The  dry  absorbs  all  the  moisture  and  prevents  ear  trouble,  so 
prevalent  among  careless  swimmers. 

During  the  winter  the  hair  should  be  dried  very  thoroughly 
and  the  body  allowed  to  cool  off  before  leaving  the  natatorium 
building.  To  go  into  the  freezing  atmosphere  outside,  espe- 
cially with  wet  hair,  from  the  torrid  temperature  of  the  bath 
is  enough  to  give  pneumonia  to  even  the  strongest. 

On  the  day  of  the  race,  don't  make  the  mistake  of  changing  all 
your  habits,  as  so  many  athletes  do,  thinking  it  is  the  proper 
thing.  We  are  such  creatures  of  habit  that  the  slightest  change 
affects  us.  Try  to  follow  the  lines  of  your  daily  life ;  if  you  take 
coffee  and  steak  for  breakfast  don't  change  to  milk  and  eggs, 
though,  of  course,  if  your  race  is  at  one  and  you  usually  eat  a 
hearty  meal  at  twelve,  the  case  changes  aspect.  Use  judgment, 
and  eat  very  sparingly,  unless  you  have  three  or  four  hours  to 
digest  in.  But,  above  all,  keep  your  mind  busy  and  don't  worry 
over  the  issue  of  the  race.  Worry  saps  up  :..i_,fe  energy  than 
the  hardest  kind  of  physical  work. 

HINTS  ABOUT  RACING. 
If  I  have  been  asked  once,  I  have  been  asked  a  hundred  times 
by  ambitious  youngsters  whether  it  is  best  to  sprint  at  the  be- 
ginning, in  the  mddle,  or  at  the  end  of  a  race.  The  correct 
way  of  racing,  in  theory,  is  not  to  sprint  at  all,  but  to  find  the 
fastest  gait  one  can  hold  over  the  distance  to  go,  and  to  hold 
it.  Unluckily,  we  are  all  such  poor  judges  of  pace  that  it  is  next 
to  impossible  for  us  to  apportion  our  energy  equally  over  the 
course  so  that  it  will   just  run  out   m  the  last   few  yards.     We 


({2'  SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRART. 

either  kill  ourselves  bj-  early  sprinting  or  reserve  energj-  for  a 
sensational  finish  which  would  have  been  far  better  employed 
sooner. 

I  consider  good  judgment  in  pacing  the  most  valuable  asset  of 
the  fast  swimmer.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  pace  that  kills,  the  pace 
above  the  individual's  normal  one  for  the  distance,  and  a  pun- 
ishing sprint,  whether  mdulged  in  at  the  start  or  at  any  other 
part  of  a  race,  is  harmful,  and  detrimental  to  the  best  results. 
Distributed  evenly  over  the  entire  course  the  extra  strength 
needed  for  that  sprint  would  have  made  the  final  time  better. 
Fast  men  are  often  seen  to  "lay  back,"  sprint  away  from  an 
opponent  and  then  slow  down,  and  do  all  sorts  of  jockeying 
Put  down  anything  you  see  in  this  line  to  play  to  the  galleries 
and  in  very  bad  taste.  A  man  who  feels  certain  of  victory  should 
be  enough  of  a  sportsman  not  to  try  to  bring  ridicule  on  his 
opponent,  and  the  man  who  is  not  certain  of  victory  will  find  it 
far  more  profitable  to  swim  his  own  race  without  bothering  about 
what  his  adversaries  are  doing  and  by  holding  a  steady  gait. 
To  allow  oneself  to  be  drawn  out  by  an  early  sprint,  or  to  lay 
back,   is  always   folly. 

It  is  rather  a  common  habit  to  try  to  steal  on  the  starter,  and 
not  a  few  take  pride  in  being  experts  at  it.  It  is  bad  policy 
even  apart  from  the  fact  that  one  should  not  take  unfair  advan- 
tage of  one's  opponent.  An  impartial  referee  will  disqualify  any-' 
one  guilty  of  stealing  and  the  swimmer  may  find  it  decidedly  un- 
pleasant if  h^  'oses  a  prize  after  having  won  a  hard-fought 
race,  just  because  he  tr  '  an  unfair  advantage  that  he  may  not 
have  needed. 

Another  bad  mistaAC  is  to  enter  into  noisy  arguments  with  an 
official,  to  challenge  the  decision  of  the  judges  and  to  use  un- 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  63 

parliamentary  language.  These  things  are  offensive  to  every  one 
present.  Just  place  yourself  in  the  position  of  the.  questioned 
official  and  try  to  think  how  you  would  like  it  if  a  shouting  and 
gesticulating  contestant  threvy  the  taunt  of  unfairness  at  you, 
or  became  profane  to  you.  A  quiet,  gentlemanly  remonstrance 
will  always  be  listened  to,  and  if  fair,  probably  heeded.  But  a 
noisy  or  abusive  one  will  even  turn  a  wavering  judge  against 
the  protestant. 

When  your  instincts  urge  you  to  a  strenuous  objection,  remem- 
ber that  it  is  the  wise  man  who  keeps  on  the  right  side  of  the 
officials.     Nothing  is  ever  gained  by  loud  and  boisterous  tactica. 


64  SPALD1X(;S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY. 


FLOATING  AND  DIVING 


Floating  is  a  mere  question  of  balance,  so  that  to  learn  how 
one  must  find  a  position  in  which  the  dead  weight  of  the  body  is 
distributed  evenly,  above  and  below  the  buoyant  center,  the 
lungs.  The  legs  will  be  found  to  overbalance  the  head  and 
shoulders  and  in  most  cases  the  feet  sink.  This  can  be  ob- 
viated by  throwing  the  head  back  and  by  extending  the  arms  at 
full  length  above  the  head;  the  additional  leverage  generally 
establishes  the  balance  and  brings  the  feet  up.  But  if  it  should 
not  prove  sufficient  the  legs  may  be  opened  first,  and  if  even 
this  is  not  enough,  brought  up  bent  at  the  knees.  Floating  is 
greatly  facilitated  by  breathing  in  such  a  manner  that  the  lungs 
are  kept  partially  full  of  air  all  the  time.  Try  to  allow  the  air  to 
get  as  low  as  possible  in  the  lungs,  and  then,  by  short  breaths, 
keep  it  there.  Deep  breathing  and  long  exhaling  should  be 
avoided. 

Women  float  more  readily  than  men,  and  stout  people  better 
than  slight  ones,  but  even  the  slightest  can  learn.  To  learn,  get 
into  water  where  you  have  a  footing  and  placing  your  arms  over 
your  head  let  yourself  drop  backwards  very  slowly,  arching  the 
spine  and  throwing  the  head  back.  Don't  breathe  until  you  have 
settled,  as  the  face  generally  sinks  for  a  second  as  you  fall  and 
then  comes  above  water  again.  If  you  don't  float  at  once  try 
bending  the  legs  as  told  above. 

Floating  is  not  only  an  enjoyable  pastime,  it  is  a  mosf  useful 
accomplishment.     Should  one  tire  on  a  long  swim,  or  be  wrecked 


SPALDINC'S   ATHLETIC  LIBUAUY.  63 

where  it  is  not  possible  to  make  land  for  hours,  floating  not  only 
allows  a  complete  rest,  but  one  may  keep  on  top  indefinitely  by 
it,  even  when  exhausted,  and  in  case  of  a  cramp  it  is  indispen- 
sable. 

PLUNGE  FOR  DISTANCE. 

Here,  too,  we  find  a  question  of  balance,  and  it  is  really  noth- 
ing but  floating  on  one's  face,  the  position  being  identical  As  in 
floating,  it  is  very  important  to  keep  the  lower  portion  of  the 
lungs  well  filled  with  air,  and  as  there  is  no  breathing  to  be 
done   it   is   not   as    hard. 

Good  plungers  are  slout  men,  as  a  rule,  with  large  shoulders 
and  comparatively  light  legs ;  but  there  are  exceptions,  and  even 
s'ight  men  with  good  lung  capacity  will  be  able  to  hold  out  the 
sixty  seconds  allowed  by  rules,  if  their  position  is  good. 

There  are  three  points  to  be  considered  in  plunging;  the  dive^ 
the  position  of  the  body  in  the  water,  and  the  direction;  the 
dive  gives  speed,  the  proper  position  enables  one  to  retain  it, 
and,  of  course,  direction  is  essential  in  competition,  when  to 
touch  the  wall  is  to  lose  all  the  following  distance. 

The  dive  to  be  taken  in  plunging  is  the  shallow  dive  described 
as  the  racing  dive.  Before  starting,  the  lungs  must  be  cleaned 
out  by  two  or  three  long,  deep  breaths,  and  then  filled  well.  The 
dive  must  be  made  as  speedy  as  possible  and  as  soon  as  the  body 
strikes  the  water  all  tension  of  the  muscles  should  be  relaxed  and 
an  effort  should  be  made  to  get  the  air  as  low  in  the  lungs  as  one 
can.  In  case  a  divergence  from  the  true  course  is  noticed,  the 
plunger  can  straighten  himself  by  moving  the  arms  and  head 
very  slowly  to  the  opposite  side;  the  movement  must  be  insen- 
sible, though,  or  it  will  check  the  progress  almost  instantane- 
ously. 


66  SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRART. 

As  nine- tenths  of  those  who  take  up  plunging  for  distance  do 
so  with  the  object  of  competing,  it  ma}'  be  recommended  to 
them  to  put  on  as  much  flesh  as  possible.  The  heavier  the  body 
the  greater  its  force  of  inertia  and  the  added  pounds  also  add  to 
one's  buoyancy. 

DIVING. 

The  shallow  or  racing  dive,  which  has  been  described  in  con- 
nection with  competitive  swimming,  is  the  most  practical  and 
useful  of  dives.  In  a  race,  in  plunging,  in  playing  water  polo,  it 
gives  more  speed  than  other  dives  and  in  swimming  in  unknown 
waters  it  is  safe  to  use,  as  it  keeps  the  body  near  the  surface 
where  the  chances  of  colliding  with  sunken  rocks  or  obstructions 
are  very  slight.  There  are  only  two  other  dives  which  need  be 
mentioned,  the  plain  front,  and  the  plain  back.  Once  these  two 
are  mastered  perfectly  the  others  will  come  readily,  for  they  are 
merely  these  dives  combined  with  some  acrobatic  feat.  I  will  not 
attempt  to  touch  on  fancy  diving  at  all,  because  it  would  take 
volumes  to   treat  the   intricate   subject  adequately. 

FRONT  DIVE. 
In  many  respects  this  dive  resembles  the  racing  one,  only  it  is 
slower  in  action  and  more  deliberate,  its  beauty  resting  in  the 
perfect  form  and  composure  of  the  diver.  Stand  erect  with  hands 
at  your  sides,  and  slowly  allow  the  body  to  fall  forward  without 
moving  the  feet ;  as  it  passes  the  balance  point  swing  the  arms 
back  and  bend  the  knees.  Then  swing  the  arms  before  you, 
above  the  head,  spring  out  (not  down,  but  right  out  parallel  to 
the  water)  and,  curving  the  body  the  least  bit  downward,  enter 
the  water  almost  at  right  angles,  with  every  muscle  set,  and  the 
arras,  head,  '"ody  and  legs   forming  a  straight  line,   even  to  the 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  6f 

toes  which  point  backward.  The  angle  at  which  the  water  is 
;truck  varies  according  to  the  height  of  the  take-off;  the  higher 
;he  take-off  the  straighter  the  dive. 

In  diving  from  a  height,  especially  if  the  water  is  .lot  very 
deep,  it  is  prudent  to  arch  the  back  as  soon  as  one  strikes,  so  as 
to  bring  the  body  to  the  surface.  In  competition,  however,  or 
when  a  particularly  clean  dive  wants  to  be  taken,  it  is  best  to 
make  it  very  straight  and  to  keep  rigid  without  a  move,  until 
the  feet  are  covered.  In  curving  the  back,  the  shins  and  feet  are 
made  to  strike  the  water,  causing  a  splash  that  spoils  the  effect 
of  the  dive.  Particular  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  lower 
leg,  in  diving,  as  it  is  almost  a  universal  fault  to  bend  it  back  as 
the  shoulders  hit  the  water. 

For  the  running  high  dive  follow  the  same  rules  only,  of 
course,  instead  of  stopping  at  the  take-off,  take  a  good  spring 
into  the  air,  having  care  to  spring  out  and  up,  as  told  above. 

BACK  DIVE. 
In  this  dive  the  swimmer  turns  his  back  to  the  water  and 
stands  on  the  edge  of  the  platform,  or  board,  with  the  ball  of 
his  feet  resting  on  it,  but  the  heels  in  space.  The  arms  are 
raised  slowly  above  the  head,  the  body  curved  backwards  and 
allowed  to  fall  over,  then  as  it  passes  the  balance  point  a  good 
spring  is  taken  and  turning  a  graceful  curve  the  body  enters  the 
water  almost  at  right  angles. 


SPAI,mX(;s   ATHLETIC   I.ll'.KAKY 


ORNAMENTAL    SWIMMING 


This  <{eneric  name  includes  every  aquatic  feat  that  can  be  per- 
formed. Be  it  easy  or  difficult,  common  or  uncommon,  it  comes 
under    the    heading    of    ornamental    swimming. 

For  the  man  who  is  at  home  in  the  water  most  of  the  tricks 
that  can  be  performed  are  merely  a  matter  of  practice  and  no 
one  should  neglect  to  learn  a  dozen  or  so,  and  go  through  them 
co-ordinately,  every  now  and  then,  so  tliat  if  called  upon  at  any 
time  one  can  roll  them  off  one  after  the  other  without  interrup- 
tions or  pauses.  They  make  an  interesting  exhibiton,  always  ac- 
ceptable at  a  swimming  meet,  and  are  a  constant  source  of  en- 
joyment to  one's  less  expert  friends.  I  will  confine  myself  to  de- 
scribing a  few  of  the  best  known  and  the  pupil  can  easily  pick  up 
the  others. 

THE  ROLLING  LOG. 
One  of  the  easiest  and  most  effective  tricks  is  the  rolling  log, 
which  anyone  knowing  how  to  float  can  learn  in  a  few  minutes. 
Take  a  floating  position  and  locking  the  thvunhs  together  exert 
the  muscles  of  the  side,  without  moving  hands  and  legs,  until 
you  turn  on  your  side,  then  apply  the  other  set  and  complete 
the  circle.  At  first  do  it  very  slowly,  for  the  beauty  of  the  trick 
lies  in  showing  as  little  movement  as  possible.  After  a  little 
practice  you  will  be  able  to  turn  quite  rapidly,  as  a  log  that  i? 
being  rolled,  though  the  muscles  hardly  move. 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRAUY.  C9 

SWIMMING  LIKE  A  DOG. 
This  style  of  swimming  has  no  value,  except  for  exhibition 
purposes.  The  body  is  held  like  in  the  breast  stroke,  but  the 
action  of  both  arms  and  legs  is  separately  alternate.  The  hands 
go  out  in  front,  palms  down,  until  on  three-quarter  reach,  and 
then  come  down  into  the  body  describing  a  circle;  they  move 
front  and  back  only,  and  do  not  go  out  to  the  sides,  as  in  the 
breast  stroke.  The  legs  are  moved  very  much  as  in  bicycling. 
Watch  a  dog  swim  and  it  will  be  an  easy  matter  to  imitate  him. 

•    SOMERSAULTS. 

If  performed  cleanly  and  swiftly,  somersaults  always  please  the 
spectator  and  they  need  no  study.  For  the  front  somersault 
stand  upright,  treading  water,  with  arms  out  to  the  sides,  at 
right  angles  to  the  body,  palms  down.  Bend  head  forward  and 
taking  a  hard  stroke  force  the  body  over,  keeping  it  curved  under 
water  until  it  returns  to  the  surface  again. 

For  the  back  somersault,  assume  the  same  position,  then  throw 
back  the  head,  curve  the  spine,  and  bend  the  knees  under  you;  a 
quick  backspring,  aided  by  a  good  stroke  of  the  hands,  will 
cause  the  body  to  circle  around  as  on  an  axle. 

The  double  somersault,  performed  by  two  swimmers  together, 
is  a  very  pretty  trick.  The  men  get  side  by  side,  one  floating,  the 
other  as  in  swimming,  the  one's  head  at  the  other's  feet.  Then 
the  one  on  his  face  submerges  himself  and  placing  his  head 
between  the  floating  man's  ankles  he  takes  hold  of  the  latter's 
head  in  a  similar  way.  They  are  thus  back  to  back.  They  now 
proceed  to  turn  back  somersaults  and  one  after  the  other  the 
heads  appear  over  the  surface  and  then  disappear  as  they  go 
round. 


TO  SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY. 

SCULLING. 
This  method  of  propulsion  should  be  practiced  with  care,  for  it 
is  the  keynote  of  several  of  the  neatest  feats  of  ornamental 
swimming.  The  bod^-  starts  in  the  usual  floating  position,  but 
with  arms  down  at  the  sides.  Sculling  is  a  circular  motion  oi 
the  hands  from  the  wrist,  aided  by  a  slight  bending  of  the  el- 
bow. Its  action  is  quite  rapid,  but  I  will  take  the  different 
moves  apart,  so  that  the  beginner  may  know  how  to  learn  it. 
The  arms  are  alongside,  palms  down,  hands  open,  fingers  to- 
gether and  wrist  straight ;  then  the  wrist  is  bent  a  little,  the 
hands  are  twisted  up  and  away  from  the  body,  then  snapped  in- 
ward towards  the  feet,  the  elbow  helping,  describing  a  circular 
motion  much  resembling  that,  of  one  baling  with  the  hand. 

SWIMMING  BACKWARD. 
There  are  two  ways  of  doing  this,  floating  and  swimming. 
In  either  case  the  arms  are  at  full  reach  over  the  head,  the 
position  of  the  body  being  respectively  the  same  as  in  floating 
and  plunging.  Then  the  hands  begin  to  scull  as  told  above  and 
the  body  will  be  propelled  feet  foremost.  The  legs  may  either 
move  in  a  slow  crawl  movement  or  keep  still. 

THE  TORPEDO. 
This  is  only  a  modification  of  floating  backward.  Having  as- 
sumed a  floating  position,  the  legs  are  bent  at  the  knees  so  that 
the  lower  legs  come  well  to  the  surface,  then  the  head  is  thrown 
back,  the  hands  give  an  upward  stroke  that  buries  the  head  and 
shoulders,  and  in  this  position  the  hands  (still  above  the  head) 
begin  to  scull.     From  above,  all  that  can  be  seen  is  the  feet  glid- 


I 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  71 

ing  through  the  water.     As  the  bod}/  has  a  tendency  to  rise  in 
this,  it  is  well  to  give  the  sculling  a  slight  upward   slant;  prac 
tice  will  tell  just  how  much. 

THE  SHIP. 
This  is  another  sculling  trick,  and  not  so  easy.  Body  is  held 
as  in  floating,  arms  alongside.  Keeping  one  leg  in  the  usual  po- 
sition, lift  the  other  straight  mto  the  air,  so  that  it  sticks  out 
of  the  water  at  right  angles  to  the  body  as  a  funnel  on  a  steamer. 
By  sculling  with  a  downward  slant  you  will  keep  afloat  and  pro- 
pel yourself  in  cither  direction.  It  is  a  real  feat  to  do  the 
schooner,    lifting   both    legs    up 

THE  TOP. 
Tread  water,  then  bend  up  legs  until  the  knees  are  against 
your  chest.  Place  arms  out  at  right  angles  and  set  yourself  spin- 
ning by  taking  strong,  fast,  alternate  strokes.  The  arms  never 
leave  the  water,  being  carried  back  to  starting  point  palm  down, 
so  that  they  offer  no  resistance  to  the  water. 

MONTE  CRISTO. 
This  is  the  most  sensational  of  tricks,  and  can  be  done  by 
anyone  used  to  underwater  work.  A  large  sack  is  provided ; 
one  in  which  a  man  fits  comfortably.  At  its  neck,  where  the 
fastening  goes,  a  hole  is  made  through  which  two  thin  pieces  of 
cord  are  passed.  When  the  swimmer  gets  into  the  sack  he  takes 
the  two  loose  ends  of  the  cord  in  his  hand  and  some  one  closes 
ihe  mouth,  binding  it  around  a  couple  of  times  before  putting  in 
the  knots.     After  a  momentary  pause  the   sack  is  thrown  over- 


1,  Correct  position  for  Swan  Dive ;  2,  Correct  stand  for  Race  Start :  3,  This 
illustration  is  only  designed  to  sho^  the  Crawl  Stroke  position  of  the  hands  ;  4, 
Crawl  Stroke  (in  action)  position.  ' 

Photos  posed  by  Teddy  Cann  of  the  New  York  Athletic  Club  and  copyrighted  by 
American  Press  Association,  N.  Y. 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  ?3 

board  with  a  cry.  On  reaching  the  water  the  imprisoned  man 
lets  go  of  the  two  ends  of  the  cord,  which  he  has  been  holding, 
and  the  mouth  of  the  sack  can  then  be  loosened  with  no  trouble. 
The  swimmer  makes  his  exit  and  comes  to  the  surface.  If  the 
water  is  at  all  muddy  the  trick  can  be  made  more  thrilling  by 
staying  under  water  until  want  of  air  compels  coming  to  the 
surface. 

There  are  a  hundred  other  tricks  which  can  be  performed,  all 
of  them  entertaining,  but  every  book  on  swimming  is  full  of 
them  and  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  work  out  a  good  program. 
The  few  given  herein  are  merely  the  fundamental  ones  from 
»vhich  most  of  the  others  can  be  evolved. 


"Ted"  Cann,  who  posed  for  the  pictures  on  oppo- 
site and  following  page  was  awarded  the  Congres- 
sional medal  for  bravery  in  1918,  his  experience  and 
bravery,  while  a  member  of  the  United  States  Naval 
Reserve  on  board  a  transatlantic  vessel,  enabling  him 
to  dive  into  the  hold  of  the  vessel,  which  was  rapidly 
filling  with  water,  and  close  a  hole  sufficiently  to 
prevent  the  vessel  from  sinking. 


II.  Position  for  breathing ;  2.  Correct  position  for  Crawl,  showing  arched  back 
3,  Overhand  Stroke  with  Crawl  Kick  :  4,  Back  Overhand  Stroke. 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY. 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  THE  CRAWL  STROKE 

Reprinted  from  the  Intercollegiati  Swimming  Guide 

Edited  by  Fred  IV.  Luehring. 

Tke  frequency  with  which  American  speed  swimmers  have 
been  shattering  world  records  has  stimulated  world-wide  interest 
in  the  American  crawl  stroke  which  is  yielding  such  phenomenal 
driving  power.  This  stroke,  which  consists  of  a  differentiation 
of  its  Australian  predecessor,  has  been  analyzed  with  wide  varia- 
tions in  different  parts  of  the  country.  In  an  effort  to  determine 
whether  these  differences  are  real  or  imagined,  and  with  a  view 
to  standardizing  if  possible  the  constituent  elements  of  this  new 
type  of  stroke,  the  following  carefully  worded  questions  have 
been  submitted  to  sixteen  of  our  leading  swimming  experts: 

1.         What  do  you  consider  the  best  position  of  the  body 
and  the  head  in  this  stroke? 

2(a).  What,  in  your  judgment,   is  the  best  form   in  the 

arm  stroke  regarding  "reach,"  "catch,"  and  "pull 

through  the  water"? 
(b).  Should  a  roll  of  the  body  be  introduced;  and,  if  so, 

how  would  you  describe  it? 
(c).  Would  you   modify  2(a)    and  2(b)    for   short  and 

middle  distances;  and,  if  so,  how? 

3(a).  What  are  your  ideas  as  to  the  most  desirable  leg 
movements  in  the  way  of  the  type  of  kick;  rhythm 
to  be  maintained;  width  of  thrash;  position  of 
legs,  whether  close  together  at  knees  or  spread 
out? 
(b).  Would  you  modify  3(a)  for  short  and  middle  dis- 
tances; and,  if  so,  how? 


7fi  SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY. 

4.  At   what  time   in   the   stroke   should   inhalation  be 

made,  and  how  often  should  one  breathe  for  dif- 
ferent distances? 

5.  Write   briefly   on    any    other    important    points    not 

brought  out  in  the  above  questions. 

Ihe  eleven  replies  which  have  been  received  are  reproduced 
in  alphabetical  order: 

By  L.  dcB.  Handley,  New  York  Athletic  Club. 

Question  No.  1. — In  swimming  the  crawl  the  body  should  be 
held  as  in  standing  erect,  on  tip-toe.  It  should  rest  on  the  water 
with  a  slight  slant — shoulders  higher  than  feet — the  amount  of 
slant  being  determined,  partly,  by  the  buoyancy  of  the  individual. 
It  is  advisable  to  increase  the  slant  in  sprinting,  as  the  speed  at 
which  one  travels  then  enables  the  swimmer  to  take  advantage 
of  the  hydroplaning  principle.  The  body  should  roll  from  side 
to  side,  in  order  to  facilitate  a  clean  recovery  of  the  arms.  The 
roll  is  slight  in  sprinting,  but  should  be  emphasized  more  and 
more  as  the  distance  to  be  covered  increases. 

Question  No.  2 — The  arm  action  of  the  crawl  is  alternate  and 
equidistant.  As  one  arm  completes  its  drives  the  other  should  be 
"catching."  Each  arm  is  dipped  close  tc  the  head  and  a  trifle 
to  its  own  side,  with  elbov:  raised,  and  then  pushed  forward 
under  water  and  downward,  so  that  on  attaining  comfortable 
full  reach  the  hand  is  about  six  or  eight  inches  below  surface. 
Here  power  is  applied  and  the  arm  '  swept  vigorously  down  and 
back,  under  the  body,  followi.  _^  a  straight  line  frorr  fuli  reach 
to  near  thigh,  carrying  even  pressure  throughout  Wheii  the 
hand  is  about  to  touc!.  the  thigh,  power  is  relinquished  and  the 
muscles  are  completely  relaxed.  Then  the  elbow  is  raised,  lift- 
ing the  forearm  and  hand  from  the  water,  the  arm  is  now 
carried  forward  slowly,  close  to  the  side,  and  wii.h  elbow  still 
raised,  so  that  it  will  be  in  the  correct  position  for  entering, 
.-.fter  recovering  beyond  the  shoulder.  The  action  of  the  arms 
should  be  slow.  It  is  all  important  to  make  the  drive  energetic 
and  the  recovery  very  easy,  in  relaxation. 


SPALDING'S  ATni.ETIC  LIBRARY.  7T 

(&). — Answered  in  No.  1. 

(c). — No  change  should  be  made  in  the  arm  movements  at  any 
time.  Only  their  speed  is  adjusted  to  the  distance  in  sight. 
The  roll  is  increased  gradually,  with  the  lengthening  of  course. 

Question  No.  3  (a  and  b). — I  am  in  favor  of  the  trudgeon- 
crawl  leg  drive  for  all  purposes.  It  consists  of  one  or  two  narrow 
scissor  kicks,  taken  at  the  end  of  the  arm  drives,  as  in  the  trud- 
geon  stroke,  and  an  alternate  thrash  of  the  feet  introduced  be- 
tween scissors.  In  sprinting,  the  scissors  are  reduced  in  width, 
until  they  do  not  exceed  the  scope  of  the  following  thrash,  so 
that  a  pure  crawl  action  (merely  distinguished  by  a  more  ac- 
cented marking  of  the  rhythm)  is  obtained.  This  form  of  drive 
is  performed  up  and  down   (perpendicularly),  or  nearly  so. 

As  the  distance  increases  and  the  roll  of  the  body  is  em- 
phasized accordingly,  the  width  of  the  scissor  is  also  enlarged  by 
degrees  and  its  direction  becomes  more  and  more  lateral,  so  that 
eventually  the  scissor  is  performed  horizontally,  or  almost,  while 
the  intervening  thrash  continues  to  be  vertical.  The  scissor 
should  never  have  an  opening  of  more  than  16  to  24  inches,  this 
margin  being  allowed  for  difference  in  size  of  swimmer.  The 
feet  should  never  rise  above  water.  The  heels,  at  most,  should 
appear. 

The  number  of  downward  leg  movements  per  full  stroke  of 
the  two  arms  must  be  two,  four  or  six.  The  six-beat  is  used 
by  the  world's  fastest  sprinters,  but  it  is  not  generally  practical 
for  middle  or  long  distance  swimming.  The  two-beat  is  not 
recommendable,  except  for  tests  of  out-and-out  endurance.  The 
four-beat  is  the  ideal  all  'round  stroke  and  will  be  found  most 
advantageous  by  the  great  majority. 

The  same  principles  govern  both  scissor  kick  and  thrash.  It 
should  be  the  aim  of  the  swimmer  to  avoid  all  possible  resistance 
by  (1)  refraining  from  raising  either  upper  leg  toward  the 
abdomen;  (2)  avoiding  upward  bending  of  the  feet;  (3)  mak- 
ing all  the  negative  movements  slowb',  in  relaxation. 

It  will  help  the  student  to  realize  that  the  leg  thrash  is  nothing 
but   a   series   of    reduced   scissor   kicks    and   that   in   using   the 


,78  SPALDINCS  ATHLETIC  LIHUAUY. 

trudgeon-crawl  it  is  only  necessary  to  widen  one  of  tlie  indi- 
vidual beats  to  obtain  the  scissor  proper,  or  major  drive. 

This  understood,  it  w^ill  be  seen  that  in  performing  the  thrasli — 
which  should  have  a  scope  of  about  12  to  15  inches — the  legs 
are  in  positive,  driving  movement  for  the  first  half  of  every 
downward  and  upward  sweep  (from  full  opening  until  they 
meet),  and  in  negative  movement  of  resistance  after  passing 
and  starting  to  open  again.  Obviously,  then,  the  first  half  of 
every  beat  should  be  made  vigorous,  the  second  in  relaxation, 
just  as  in  performing  a  wider  scissor. 

The  direction  of  the  thrashing  legs  should  be  forward  and 
back,  as  in  walking,  with  no  lateral  opening.  Knees  and  feet 
should  almost  brush  in  passing.  The  top  leg  is  advanced  a 
little,  nearly  straight  at  the  knee;  the  under  one  is  bent  back, 
about  half  way  to  kneeling  position. 

Question  No.  4. — Breathing  is  done  in  the  crawl  by  inhaling 
by  mouth  while  the  body  rolls  on  its  under  shoulder,  and  ex- 
haling, through  the  nostrils,  underwater,  while  it  is  face  down. 
Inhalation  should  be  started  toward  the  latter  part  of  the  top- 
arm  drive  and  continued  through  the  first  half  of  the  recovery 
cf  the  same  arm.  The  head  should  not  be  raised  to  inhale,  but 
only  twisted  toward  the  upper  shoulder.  It  is  best  to  breathf 
at  every  full  stroke.  Some  may  possibly  profit  by  inhaling  at 
every  other  stroke  when  sprinting  fifty  yards,  though  it  is  doubt- 
ful, but  there  is  no  question  that  intermittent  breathing,  at 
greater  distances,  is  very  harmful  and  exhausting. 

By  Harry  H.  Hindman,  Coach  of  Swimming  University  oi 
Wisconsin. 

While  there  may  be  considerable  variance  of  opinion  regard- 
ing details  of  the  so-called  crawl  stroke,  there  are  certain  funda- 
mental principles  which  cannot  be  disregarded.  The  problem  is 
how  to  propel  the  body  over  or  through  the  water  at  the 
greatest  speed  and  with  the  smallest  expenditure  of  energy. 
This  involves  three  things,  namely:  resistance  against  the  water, 
application  of  muscular  power,  and  relaxation  between  periods 
of  effort. 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  VI 

For  purposes  of  clearness  the  stroke  may  be  described  in  four 
parts,  the  Body,  the  Arms,  the  Legs,  and  the  Breathing.  Let  u^ 
consider  them  in  the  above  order. 

The  Body. 

The  body  should  have  a  tendency  to  move  over  the  water  in 
the  manner  of  a  hydroplane  rather  than  through  or  against  it. 
This  tendency  may  be  obtained  by  holding  the  head  in  such  a 
•position  that  the  face  only  will  be  buried  in  the  water,  with  the 
top  and  back  of  the  head  showing  above  the  surface.  In  the  case 
of  very  buoyant  swimmers,  the  whole  head  may  be  carried  above 
the  surface.  The  roll  of  the  body  should  be  sufficient  to  allow 
absolute  freedom  of  movement  to  the  arms.  There  is  no  ad- 
vantage to  be  gained  in  allowing  a  greater  roll  than  will  make 
possible  a  powerful  pull  with  the  arms  and  a  free  and  easy 
recovery.  Under  no  circumstances  should  the  body  be  allowed 
to  sway  from  side  to  side  ^nd  thus  tend  to  follow  a  zig-zag 
course. 

The  Arms. 

The  catch  or  start  of  the  pull  should  be  made  dirt^./y  in  front 
of  the  head  in  line  with  the  body  and  as  far  forward  as  can  be 
reached,  without  stretching,  by  extending  the  arm  from  the 
shoulder. 

The  pull  should  begin  when  the  hand  has  been  lowered  five 
or  six  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  water  and  on  a  line 
directly  beneath  the  center  of  the  body,  finishing  near  the  thigh. 
The  hand  should  come  out  of  the  water  not  with  a  jerk  ur  throw, 
'")ut  smoothly  and  as  far  back  as  can  be  comfortably  reached  by 
extending  the  arm  from  the  shoulder. 

The  recovery  is  the  rest  period  for  the  arms  and  should  be 
characterized  by  almost  complete  relaxation.  After  coming  out 
of  tlie  water,  the  arm  is  raised,  the  elbow  slightly  Dent  and  the 
wrist  and  hand  relaxed.  In  this  position  the  arm  is  carried 
forward  1-y  a  shoulder  movement  to  the  position  for  the  next 
catch.  The  complete  arm  movement  may  be  briefly  described 
as  a  slioulder  rotation  with  the  arm  extended.     There  need  be 


f-O  SPALDINOS  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY. 

no  variance  in  the  form  of  the  arm  movements  over  short  and 
middle  distances. 

The  Legs. 

Probabl}'  the  most  natural,  best  balanced,  and  at  the  same  time 
most  powerful  leg  movement  is  the  six-beat  kick,  that  is,  six 
kicks  with  each  complete  movement  of  the  arms. 

I  believe  this  kick  to  be  more  effective  and  more  natural  than 
the  four-beat  and  less  exhausting  than  the  eight-beat  movement. 
The  kick  should  be  performed  in  such  a  manner  that  the  first 
and  fourth  kicks  amount  to  narrow  scissor  kicks,  each  followed 
by  two  straight  up  and  down  kicks.  The  right  foot  should  strike 
the  water  as  the  left  arm  finishes  its  pull  and  the  left  foot  as  the 
right  arm  completes  its  movement.  The  accent  in  the  rhythm 
should  come  on  the  first  and  fourth  beats  as  follows :  RIGHT, 
left,  right — LEFT,  right,  left  and  so  on,  with  the  arms  finishing 
their  respective  pulls  as  described  above.  The  action  should 
take  place  from  the  hips  down  and  the  knees,  ankles  and  feet 
should  work  freely  with  all  tendency  to  stiffness  eliminated.  This 
will  allow  the  feet  to  point  and  enable  the  swimmer  to  strike 
the  water  with  the  top  of  his  feet.  The  legs  should  be  slightly 
turned  in  so  that  the  feet  tend  to  ''pigeon  tcedness."  The  kicks 
should  be  wide  enough  to  allow  free  movement  and  enable  the 
swimmer  to  "feel"  the  water,  but  not  wide  enough  to  bring  the 
feet  out  of  the  water.  The  heels  only  .should  be  permitted  to 
appear  above  the  surface.  The  actual  width  in  inches  would,  of 
course,  vary  somewhat  with  different  swimmers.  This  kick  will 
be  found  practical  over  bofli  short  and  middle  distances.  Over 
middle  distances,  however,  the  scissor  kicks  may  be  somewhat 
wider. 

Breathing. 

Since  proper  oxygenation  of  the  blood  is  so  extremely  im- 
portant, a  swimmer  should  secure  all  of  the  air  he  needs  and 
never  allow  himself  to  feel  distress  by  attempting  to  hold  his 
breath  over  a  number  of  strokes.  Except  in  short  sprints,  in- 
halation should  take  place  on  every  stroke.    The  most  convenient 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  81 

and  economical  period  in  the  stroke  to  inhale  is  just  at  the  finish 
of  the  pull  of  the  arm  on  the  breathing  side.  This  brings  the 
breathing,  finish  of  the  pull  and  the  first  kick  together  while 
the  body  is  rolled  on  to  the  blind  or  non-breathing  side. 

In  general  the  aim  should  be  to  develop  a  smooth,  natural, 
easy  movement,  to  eliminate  as  much  resistance  as  possible,  to 
attain  the  maximum  of  relaxation  between  periods  of  effort  and 
to  secure  the  greatest  amount  of  driving  force  from  the  energy 
expended.  In  my  own  experience  the  movements  so  briefly 
described  above  accomplish  these  ends.  No  set  rule  can  be  laid 
down  for  all  swimmers  to  follow,  because  of  individual  differ- 
ences such  as  size,  weight,  build  and  natural  buoyancy,  but  the 
general  principles  will  hold  for  all. 


By     George     Kistler,     Swimming     Director     University     of 
Pennsylvania. 

The  crawl  stroke  is  the  fastest  means  today  of  propelling  the 
body  of  a  human  being  from  its  own  power  through  the  water, 
the  peculiarity  of  this  stroke  being  considerable. 

The  only  movement  similar  to  other  strokes  is  the  arm  move- 
ment, the  leg  being  entirely  different.  However,  I  am  unable  to 
say  which  is  really  the  best  method  to  use  in  this  stroke.  There 
are  so  many  variations  to  this  style  of  swimming  and  all  seem 
good.  Because  one  man  can  glide  through  the  water  faster  than 
another  is  not  always  through  having  a  better  stroke.  It  is  the 
one  who  has  the  knack  in  performing  the  different  movements. 
[  have  seen  poor  form  swimmers  go  through  the  water  consider- 
ably faster  than  one  who  swam  in  perfect  form. 

Some  swim  with  straight  legs,  that  is,  worked  or  swung  from 
tlie  hips;  others  work  from  knee  down;  some  from  both  hips 
and  knees;  others  take  extra  wide  kicks,  some  slow,  others  fast, 
and  vice  versa ;  some  with  arms  and  legs  using  slow  arms  and 
quick  thrash,  fast  arms  and  slow  kick  or  thrash;  others  about 
even  all  through  the  stroke;  some  oscillate  the  ankles,  while 
others  keep  feet  stretched  to  full  extent;  some  turn  toes  in  at 
each  thrash  and  others  keep  them  pointed. 


Sli  SPALDING 'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY. 

One  can  look  at  scores  of  "crawl  swimmers"  and  scarcely  find 
two  exactly  alike.  Some  pull  arms  under  stomach,  others  on 
outside  of  body,  and  all  at  different  angles;  some  use  straight 
arms  or  extended  at  full  length ;  others  make  a  rather  short  reach 
and  put  them  in  water  in  front  of  head,  pushing  down  on  an 
angle  to  where  stroke  is  started.  Some  swim  with  head  high  out 
of  water;  others  keep  face  submerged  more  or  less.  Breathing 
lakes  place  at  different  times  with  different  swimmers.  In  fact, 
it  makes  little  difference  which  one  swims  the  best  stroke.  It  is 
the  one  who  gets  to  the  goal  first,  and  I  am  unable  to  say  which 
is  really  the  best  crawl  stroke,  as  they  are  all  good. 

The  "trudgeon,"  or  double  overarm  with  crawl  and  scissors 
combined,  is  practically  the  best  and  fastest  all  around  stroke 
tod£.y  for  distance.  Our  ideas  here  that  the  Australian  swim- 
mers swim  their  crawl  stroke  to  a  "timing"  system  is  all  paper 
talk.  The  only  difference  is  that  they  swim  with  a  shade  wider 
arm  stroke  in  entering  the  water,  otherwise  they  are  about  the 
same  as  we  are,  probably  using  more  legwork  from  the  knees 
down  than  we  do.  They  discovered  it  from  the  natives  over 
there,  and  Wickham  was  probably  the  first  to  swim  this  way, 
although  the  white  man,  Cavill,  seems  to  have  been  credited  with 
having  introduced  the  stroke  in  Australia.  I  have  drawings  here 
showing  that  away  back  the  Aborigines  used  the  same  identical 
stroke,  although  without  doubt  we  have  enlarged  and  improved 
on  this  style  of  propelling  and  are  probably  the  fastest  lot  of 
swimmers  in  the  world  today  using  it  for  distances  from  50  to 
220  yards. 

I  myself  like  the  thrash  leg  stroke.  It  seems  to  have  more 
power,  especially  if  the  knee  is  bent  the  slightest  bit,  than  the 
kick  used  from  the  knees  only.  The  swimmers  who  use  the  side 
or  scissor  kick  pick  up  the  best  and  fastest  at  this  particular  stj'le 
of  swimming.  They  seem  to  catch  on  to  the  kick  much  easier 
than  a  breast  stroke  kicker.  Any  way,  it  is  mostly  a  modified 
side  or  scissor  kick.  I  have  two  or  three  men  on  my  team  who 
can  swim  50  or  60  feet  as  fast  with  legs  alone  as  most  swimmers 
can   go   with   use   of   arms   and   legs.     Duke   Kahanamoku,   the 


SPALDING'S   ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  83 

world's  champion  and  fastest  swimmer,  swims  a  beautiful  leg 
kick  or  thrash,  according  to  my  mind.  I  trained  him  for  six 
months  previous  to  the  Olympic  Games  in  1912  and  the  results 
have  long  been  known  the  world  over.  His  kick  was  continuous 
and  very  fast,  arms  rather  slow  in  comparison  to  the  leg  thrash. 
He  had  no  particular  timing  of  the  stroke  and  worked  inde- 
pendently. I  do  not  wish  to  go  into  the  whole  affair  pro  and  con 
on  anything  pertaining  to  swimming,  as  to  which  is  really  the 
best  stroke,  as  all  of  them  have  their  good  points. 


By  Ludy  Langer,  Captain  University  of  California  Swimming 
Team. 

1.  Position  of  the  Head  and  Body. 

The  position  of  the  body  should  be  as  near  on  the  top  of  the 
water  as  is  possible  with  natural  ease.  I  fully  believe  that  the 
drive  from  the  legs  in  the  crawl  is  of  far  less  importance  than 
the  fact  that  the  kick  keeps  the  legs  and  lower  part  of  the  body 
near  the  surface. 

I  think  the  head  should  not  be  held  too  far  out  of  water  nor 
too  deep,  using  it  if  necessary  to  balance  the  rest  of  the  body. 
H  the  legs  and  back  have  a  tendency  to  come  too  far  out  of 
water  the  swimmer,  by  holding  his  head  a  little  higher,  will  cause 
his  legs  to  go  down  a  bit  and  vice  versa. 

2.  The  Arms. 

(a).  I  find  that  the  natural  tendency  for  most  swimmers  is 
to  bend  the  arms  too  much  at  the  elbows  and  also  to  lift  the 
elbow  too  high  when  bringing  the  arm  forward  for  the  next 
stroke.  This  method  loses  energy  and  time.  The  method  which 
I  prefer  and  use  is  to  bring  the  arm  forward  with  a  swing  out 
over  the  water  just  high  enough  to  clear  it.  By  this  method  you 
can  relax  almost  every  muscle  in  the  arm,  bending  at  the  elbow 
only  enough  to  give  added  relaxation  to  the  arm. 

The  reach  should  be  straight  out  from  the  shoulder  and  should 
be  far  out  before  entering  the  water,  instead  of  putting  the  hand 


84  SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY. 

in  close  to  the  head  and  extending  it  under  water  to  full  arm's 
length.    This  saves  time  and  energy. 

(h)-  There  should  l>e  very  little  roll  of  the  body,  just  enough 
to  help  the  arm  clear  the  water  and  to  elevate  the  shoulder  so 
that  the  arm  may  be  brought  forward  with  a  minimum  of  effort. 
Too  much  roll  is  worse  than  none  at  all. 

(c).  I  think  the  reach  should  be  extended  farther  out  as  the 
distance  increases,  because  there  is  more  time  for  extending 
the  arm  and  it  also  lengthens  the  stroke.  The  natural  tendency 
in  the  shorter  distances,  is  to  shorten  the  reach,  but  care  must 
be  taken  not  to  shorten  it  too  much. 

The  roll  should  also  be  decreased  for  the  shorter  races  because 
of  the  extra  energy  and  time  it  takes  to  roll  from  one  side  to 
the  other.  For  the  longer  distances  the  roll  should  be  gradually 
increased  with  the  distance,  the  limit  being  reached  when  the 
arm  can  be  easily  brought  forward  without  lifting  it  too  high 
abo-,  J  the  water. 

The  pull  tlirough  the  water  should  be  such  that  the  swimmer 
has  the  best  hold  on  the  water  at  all  times  during  the  stroke. 
This  can  be  determined  by  the  amount  of  effort  required.  It  is 
harder  to  pull  the  arm  through  the  water  when  one  has  a  better 
hold  on  it.  The  natural  but  incorrect  tendency  is  to  pull  the  arms 
through  the  water  in  either  a  zig  zag  fashion  or  to  let  them  bend 
at  the  elbows  when  they  are  under  water,  instead  of  pulling  them 
straight  through  from  a  point  directly  out  from  the  shoulders 
and  not  letting  them  go  under  the  body  or  away  from  it  when 
extended  straight  down. 
3.     The  Legs. 

(a).  I  think  the  leg  drive  should  be  learned  and  used  inde- 
pendently from  the  arm  stroke.  I  think  the  whole  secret  to  the 
leg  drive  is  to  relax  the  legs  absolutely.  Most  swimmers  kick 
too  hard,  too  often,  and  open  their  legs  too  wide.  The  best  way 
to  describe  the  kick  I  think  is  to  leave  the  legs  as  loose  as  pos- 
sible and  then  try  to  shake  the  ankle  off  the  foot.  In  this  opera- 
tion the  legs  should  not  ppen  more  than  from  nine  to  twelve 
inches  and  should  be  absolutely  loose  at  the  hips  and  knees. 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  85 

(b).  I  think  the  legs  should  be  kept  close  together  at  all  times. 
In  a  short  race  the  kick  should  be  fast  but  no  harder  and  no 
wider.  As  the  distance  becomes  longer  the  kick  should  become 
slower  and  still  as  loose  as  before. 

4.  Inhalation. 

This  is  a  question  of  individual  study  after  the"  first  principles 
have  been  mastered.  As  the  swimmer  rolls  so  that  the  side 
which  is  always  in  the  water  when  he  swims  single  overhand 
is  the  lower  side  in  the  water  the  head  should  be  turned  slightly 
more  than  the  roll  but  not  lifted,  and  the  sight  should  not  be 
directed  ahead.  This  places  the  head  in  a  position  most  favorable 
for  taking  in  a  good  big  breath  at  every  stroke  in  a  long  distance 
swim.  Then  roll  over  to  the  other  side  and  exhale  under  water 
Just  before  coming  back  into  position  to  take  the  next  breath. 

In  the  shorter  races  a  breath  may  be  taken  at  every  stroke 
of  a  given  arm,  at  every  other  one,  or  possibly  at  even  greater 
intervals.  This  must  be  decided  upon  in  individual  cases  by 
careful  observations.  I  might  add  further  that  the  inhalation 
should  be  made  before  the  arm  v  hich  is  uppermost  starts  forward 
for  the  next  stroke.  It  should  be  started  just  as  it  starts  to 
leave  the  water  and  ended  before  it  is  one-quarter  way  back  to 
the  forward  position. 

5.  MAKING  USE  OF  NATURAL  ABILITY  and  relaxation. 
The  biggest  mistake  is  to  hold  yourself  tense  while  swimming. 

It  does  not  take  great  effort  to  propel  oneself  forward  in  the 
water.  In  fact  it  is  just  as  easy  as  walking  when  done  in  the 
right  way.  Perfect  relaxation  in  the  water  is  essential  before 
one  can  get  the  greatest  pleasure  and  ease  out  of  stvimming  and 
achieve  success  in  the  races.  Another  essential  is  to  study  one- 
self to  discover  natural  ability  and  limitations.  To  try  a  method 
of  swimming  just  because  some  swimmer  with  a  big  reputation 
swims  that  way  may  be  absolutely  wrong,  for  the  successful 
swimmer  may  be  successful  in  spite  of  numerous  faults,  or  his 
method  may  be  absolutely  unsuited  to  the  qualifications  and 
limitations  of  others. 


SC  SPALDING'S  ATIILKTIC  I.IRRART. 

Do  not  expect  success  in  competition  without  hard  zvork,  and 
do  not  expect  success  I'ight  azcay,  because  it  takes  as  much  time 
to  work  up  in  this  sport  as  in  anj'^  other  form  of  athletics.  Too 
many  swimmers  lose  heart  because  they  do  not  advance  rapidly 
enough,  but  they  should  consider  that  in  trying  to  go  forward 
too  fast  one  usually  does  not  pay  enough  attention  to  form,  a 
shortcoming  which  prevents  maximum  efficiency. 

It  is  my  theory  to  zvork  slozvly  and  perfect  the  form,  and 
when  the  sivimming  form  has  been  perfected  speed  will  come 
unless  there  are  physical  reasons  to  the  contrary. 


By  Lionel   B.   MacKenzie,   Coach   of   Swimming   College   of 
the  City  of  New  York. 

Question  No.  1. — The  position  of  the  body  in  the  crawl  stroke 
should  be  prone,  with  a  normal  extension  on  the  whole  body ;  as 
near  parallel  to  the  surface  of  the  water  as  the  above  position 
will  allow. 

Question  No.  2  (a). — The  arms  on  the  reach  forward  should  be 
normally  extended  at  right  angles  to  the  width  of  the  shoulders. 
In  reaching  forward  from  the  finish  of  the  stroke,  the  elbow 
should  be  bent  and  elevated  to  enable  the  hand  to  clear  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  The  pull  or  stroke  through  the  water  should 
be  downward,  until  the  hand  is  below'  the  body,  then  swerving 
inward  in  a  described  arc  finishing  fully  extended  at  the  side  of 
the  body.  The  describing  of  the  arc  inward  or  under  the  body 
calls  for  a  slight  bend  of  the  arm  at  the  elbow.  The  pull  or 
stroke  should  be  backward,  to  eliminate  as  much  as  possible  the 
body  pressure  and  draught  in  the  water. 

(&). — The  rolling  of  the  body  in  the  crawl  stroke  is  for  the  pur- 
pose of  breathing.  It  should  be  done  in  one  movement  of  the 
whole  body  and  should  take  place  between  each  arm  stroke.  The 
roll  should  be  to  one  side  only,  and  to  that  side  easiest  to  breathe 
on.  In  practice  the  roll  may  be  changed  to  the  other  side,  for 
the  purpose  of  developing  an  equal  or  uniform  thrash  with  the 
legs. 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  ,s7 

(c). — In  distance  swimming  the  roll  and  breathing  between 
each  arm  stroke  is  recommended,  because  the  more  inhalation  the 
less  strain  and  fatigue.  In  short  distance  swimming  the  roll  and 
breathing  takes  places  when  physically  required,  and  varies  from 
four  or  five  strokes  to  every  fifteen  or  twenty.  The  rapidity  of 
the  stroke  only  changes. 

Question  No.  3  (a). — The  legs  should  be  normally  extended 
and  their  action  and  that  of  the  feet  should  be  a  vertical  thrash 
from  the  hips  to  the  feet.  In  rolling  the  body  the  action  of  the 
legs  and  feet  ought  not  to  change,  but  the  action  of  the  thrash 
will  change  to  lateral.  The  thrash  should  be  confined  to  that 
width  which  is  between  the  points  of  resistance,  encountered 
when  the  legs  are  raised  too  high  or  submerged  too  deep.  The 
thrash  with  the  minimum  resistance  is  essential.  The  rhythm 
of  the  thrash  should  be  that  which  can  be  controlled  in  co- 
ordination with  the  arm  stroke. 

(b). — The  above  stroke  should  be  used  for  short  and  middle 
distances. 

Question  No.  4. — Inhalation  should  take  place  when  the  body 
has  rolled  to  the  side.  This  takes  place  between  each  arm  stroke. 
In  distance  swimming  the  above  is  recommended.  In  short  dis- 
tances or  sprints,  at  those  intervals  suitable  to  the  endurance  of 
the  individual.  The  holding  of  the  breath  combined  with  the 
physical  action  between  intervals  of  breathing  is  very  fatiguing 
and  is  the  general  cause  of  exhaustion  in  sprint  races. 

Many  swimmers  have  to  use  a  great  deal  of  their  stroke  at 
certain  points  of  fatigue,  in  order  to  keep  the  body  afloat.  It  has 
been  noted  that  many  of  our  fast  swimmers  are  very  buoyant, 
thereby  using  the  greater  part  of  the  stroke  for  propulsion. 
Many  swimmers  exhale  under  water  or  before  the  roll  and 
inhale  on  the  roll.  It  has  been  especially  noted,  in  cases  of 
fatigue,  that  during  this  short  interval  of  exhaling  and  inhaling 
the  body  has  increased  its  draught,  and  caused  considerable  effort 
in  getting  the  face  above  water  on  the  roll. 


88  srAi,niN(;s  athlktic  library. 

By  Edward  J.  Manley,  Coach  of  Swimming  University  of 
Illinois. 

The  body  is  kept  as  close  to  the  surface  of  the  water  as  pos- 
sible. Place  the  head  in  such  a  position  as  to  allow  the  water 
to  strike  just  above  the  eyes. 

The  average  swimmer  should  take  a  long  arm  stroke,  extend 
the  arms,  and  "catch"  with  the  hand  straight  in  front.  Buoyant 
swimmers  find  it  well  to  slide  the  hand  in  the  water  just  a  little 
before  the  arm  has  reached  its  full  length.  Bring  each  arm 
straight  down  with  a  decided  pull  until  it  is  even  with  the  hip. 
A  sHght  roll  from  the  waist  up  should  then  be  made  to  allow 
the  clearing  of  the  arms  from  the  water.  Then  the  arm  should 
be  brought  out  with  a  little  jerk  from  the  shoulder,  bent  slightly 
at  the  elbow,  and  again  thrust  forward. 

The  legs  should  be  extended,  feet  pointed  and  turned  inward, 
legs  about  a  foot  or  little  more  apart  from  the  knees  down.  Do 
not  hold  the  legs  rigid.  Work  the  legs  up  and  down  alternately, 
moving  the  whole  leg  and  keeping  knees  bent  very  little.  In 
the  downward  thrash,  the  legs  should  work  independent  of  arms 
in  most  cases. 

The  inhalation  should  be  taken  as  the  arm  is  lifted  from  the 
water.  A  breath  should  be  taken  at  every  other  arm  stroke  for 
a  distance  swim.  For  a  short  distance,  say  a  40  or  50-yard  swim, 
inhalation  should  be  made  about  every  sixth  complete  stroke. 

The  crawl  stroke  of  today  is  a  very  hard  stroke  to  describe  as 
there  are  many  ways  of  swimming  it.  You  cannot  apply  the 
same  style  to  every  swimmer,  there  being  hardly  two  persons 
who  can  use  the  stroke  alike.  It  is  all  on  the  same  principle, 
but  the  build  of  a  man  will  change  the  desired  form  a  great  deal. 
It  is  up  to  the  coach  to  study  his  man  and  frame  up  a  stroke 
to  fit  his  build.  

By  Matthews  Mann,  Formerly  Swimming  Supervisor  Town 
of  Brookline;  Former  Coach  of  Harvard  'Varsity  and 
U.  S.  Naval  Academy  Teams;  Now  with  New  York  A.  C. 

I  am  a  crawl  stroke  man  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  I 
teach  the  crawl  as  an  elementary  stroke  and  have  done  so  much 


SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY.  89 

better  than  ever  I  could  have  done  with  the  breast  stroke  that  I 
never  teach  anything  else.  Referring  to  the  crawl,  for  the  racing 
man : 

Question  No.  1. — The  best  position  for  the  crawl  stroke  swim- 
mer is  perfectly  flat  with  the  face  in  the  water,  only  turning  the 
head  to  take  a  breath.  The  reason  of  this  position  is  that  there 
is  less  resistance  than  if  you  keep  your  head  up  or  if  you  roll 
to  get  your  breath. 

Question  No.  2  (a). — The  best  reach  of  the  arm  is  so  that 
your  hand,  beginning  with  the  tips  of  the  fingers,  is  in  the  water 
before  any  part  of  the  arm  is  in,  meaning  that  the  fingers  are 
commencing  the  drive  before  the  elbow  begins  to  resist.  It  is 
not  a  pull  of  the  arm  but  more  of  a  drive.  It  is  not  possible  to 
pull  the  water,  but  you  throw  your  shoulder  forward  to  where 
your  hand  takes  the  water,  making  it  more  after  the  form  of  a 
lift  of  the  body  to  the  hand,  not  pulling  the  hand  to  the  side. 

(b). — A  swimmer  can  roll  when  swimming  a  220  or  over  by 
just  reaching  a  little  deeper  into  the  water  with  the  drive;  it 
enables  him  to  get  a  breath  easier,  also  it  brings  in  a  distinct 
small  side  kick,  which  is  quite  an  asset  in  the  longer  swims. 

Question  -Vo.  3. — Both  the  arm  and  the  leg  kick  are  changed  in 
the  distances.  In  the  sprint  the  body  is  kept  perfectly  flat,  the 
arms  taking  the  water  a  little  in  front  of  the  head,  but  out  at 
the  side.  They  are  forced  down  to  a  point  just  underneath  the 
thigh;  there  they  are  lifted  with  the  relaxing  of  the  muscles  in 
the  elbow,  and  brought  forward  with  a  distinct  shoulder  action. 
The  kick  is  a  good  thrash  with  a  loose  knee  snap,  so  that  the 
feet  come  out  of  the  water.  The  kick  is  perfectly  balanced, 
each  leg  doing  its  share,  the  feet  lifting  out  of  the  water  any- 
where from  one  to  four  inches.  The  kick  is  also  an  independent 
motion,  each  swimmer  having  a  little  difiference  in  the  motion. 

There  is  no  perfect  time  that  you  could  recommend  to  any 
collection  of  swimmers.  They  will  fi.nd  out  the  correct  time  to 
tpply  their  kick  as  they  proceed  in  proficiency.  Some  swimmers 
kick  very  fast,  while  others  kick  very  slow. 


90  SPALDING'S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY. 

The  crawl  stroke  for  distances  over  100  yards  should  be  swum 
with  a  roll  and  a  slight  side  kick,  not  bending  the  knees  at  all; 
cf  course  keep  muscles  relaxed  so  that  they  don't  cramp.  The 
feet  should  be  used  as  if  you  were  on  your  toes  all  the  time,  and 
also  try  to  get  the  habit  of  toeing  inwards. 

Question  No.  4. — The  breathing  is  one  of  the  chief  reasons 
why  so  many  men  fall  down  on  the  crawl ;  they  do  not  pay 
enough  attention  to  it,  and  when  they  do  meet  someone  who 
does  breathe  right  they  are  usually  second. 

The  best  way  to  insure  getting  your  breath  at  all  times  is  to 
stand  in  the  pool  and  first  of  all  take  in  a  breath,  then  put  your 
head  under  water,  then  turn  your  head  to  the  side;  do  not  lift 
up  the  head,  try  and  keep  the  ear  in  the  water;  just  as  you  turn 
the  head  begin  exhaling  through  the  nose;  when  the  mouth  is 
just  clear  of  the  water  open  it  wide  and  take  in  a  quick  breath 
through  the  mouth,  then  repeat,  making  sure  that  head  does  not 
lift,  but  only  turns.  This  should  be  done  very  slowly  at  first. 
When  you  feel  it  is  coming  all  right,  start  to  swim  slowly  and 
turn  3^our  head  the  same  way;  do  not  hurry,  or  you  will  get  too 
much  water,  but  take  it  easy,  until  you  are  sure  that  you  can 
get  all  the  breath  j'ou  need. 

It  is  best  at  all  times  to  take  a  breath  on  every  stroke,  when 
a  man  is  breathing  right.  However,  until  he  gets  it  right,  the 
breath  should  be  taken  in  a  sprint  race  every  three  or  four 
strokes,  but  not  longer,  as  that  would  put  too  great  a  task  on  the 
heart.  Special  work  should  be  given  all  men  to  help  their  breath- 
ing, for  the  man  who  breathes  test  will  win  nine  times  out  of 
len. 


^SStVTHE  SPALDING 


SPALDING  WORSTED  BATHING  SUITS 

All  styles  furnished  in  sizes  28  to  46  inches  chest  measurement.     Except  where  specified  as 
Coast  style,  following  suits  are  all  two  piece. 


../•^ 


i^ 


^s 


No.LR 


No.  109 


No.  621 


No.LR.     Improved  Coast  style  (patented).     Buttons  over  one  shoulder.     Shirt  attached  to  tights, 

and  tights  cut  away  under  skirt  at  side.     Supplied  in  following  colors:   Black,  Navy  or  Heather. 
Mo.  109.      Sleeveless,    fine   quality  worsted,   solid   colors   only;    either   Black,    Navy  or   Heather 

mixtures, 
^o.  621.      Sleeveless,  fine  quality  cut  worsted,  low  cut,  belt  loops.      Plain  colors  only,   in  either 

Navy,  Black  or  Gray. 
No.  300PC.     Coast  style.     One  piece,  sleeveless,  lightweight  worsted,  plain  colors;  Navy,  Black 

or  Maroon  only. 
Mo.  NS.  Sleeveless,  Heather  color,  two  piece. 

Mo.  NSPC.    Pacific  Coast  style.  Heather  color. 

Prices  on  Application. 


PBOMPI  inENTIONGIVENTOl 

ANY  COMMUNICUIONS 

>D0RESSEO  TO  IIS 


A.  a  SPALDING  «St  BRQS. 

STORES  IN  ALL  LARGE  CITIES 


FOR  COMPLETE  LIST  OF  STORES 

SEE  INSIDE  FRONT  COVER 

OF  THIS  BOOK 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


k     JAM  ^ '' 


NOV  1 1 1959 

JAM  1  2  1980 

P^:c  2  1  1961 


CC  J.  »  J^l  0  a' 


c^i'L  1  1  19621 


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AUG  18  1965 


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Prices  on  Application. 


PROMPT  ATTENTION  GIVEN  TO  I 

ANT  COMMUNICtTIONS 

ADDflESSED  TO  US 


A.  G.  SPALDING  &  BROS. 

STORES  IN  ALL  LARGE  CITIES     x 


FOP.  COHPIHE  LIST  OF  STORES 
SEE  INSIDE  FRONT  C0YE8 

OF  THIS  eooi 


UNIVERsiTY  ^rCAUFOWlM^ 
TAR  ANGELEa 


y-4Ct\ilc>rJ  - 


3  1158  00881   1951 


AA    001  170  297    4 


